


To the Untrained Eye

by Bleach_ed_Na_tsu



Category: Eyeshield 21
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23230972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleach_ed_Na_tsu/pseuds/Bleach_ed_Na_tsu
Summary: UNDERGOING REVISION! Possible plot-change and eventual regular updated! - Sena isn't cowardly, and he certaintly isn't weak. He still has his legs, and his kind disposition, but instead he's part of the mafia. Him and his 'brothers' must lay low, while still hinding from an enmy out for their blood, and their family. AU. Dark?
Kudos: 2





	1. Hidden behind the hood

He was standing on the street corner, just standing under the streetlight with his hood pulled up, and a shadow cast over his face. The shadow made it impossible to tell who he was, yet, that same hood made it impossible to mistake him.

On the hood, stitched in perfection was the symbol for the largest mafia group in all of Japan. Said mafia group struck fear into everyone, yet earned the respect of all who knew the name. For it wasn't through especially violent means that they earned their title- though it wasn't as if they were completely non-violent- it was through the consequences of their acts that they became so well know.

The man on the corner, with the drawn hood was part of the Di Fortuna group, their symbol simply an hourglass tilted at an angle, inside, was a tornado, barely contained by the illusionary glass.

Suddenly, deep brown eyes could be seen from under the hood, golden flecks made visible by the ugly fluorescent light- had the light been from the moon, or even the sun, the golden would have almost completely overtaken the brown.

"It seems you haven't lost you're touch, Meteora sir." explained a black clad figure in a soft voice. His body lithe and supple slinked into the light, as if a jaguar from the jungle. His face was hidden, but only just; from under his thick black locks brown eyes could be seen- a familiar man in Japan.

"Ahh, you should know better Giavellotto, we are in Japan- here I am to be called Ryuusei." The man, known as Meteora smiled softly at the black figure, as if confronting a brother.

"Ah, I suppose you are right, but I will continue to call you Meteora, Sir." The black figure bowed.

"Hmmm," hummed the hooded figure. "Ne, do you think we'll be able to stay longer than last time?"

"I don't know Meteora, it all depends on if they come after us again." He explained. The hooded figure he addressed, the one he looked at with caring eyes sighed, a sigh made visible by the large puff of smoke in the frigid air.

The man, known now as Shin, wanted very much to embrace the boy in a warm hug- as he would in private- he knew the boy wished not to have to continue to run, how he wished to settle down, to have a base from which his team- his brothers could work; to be a normal teenage boy. Alas, it was impossible, with their enemy closing in on them and the ones they protected, it wasn't possible.

"Boss, just know, we will stand beside you, **no matter what**."

The boss of Di Fortuna smiled then, a warm smile, he pushed the hood off his head, locks of deep brown tumbled out, his hair was longer than he usually kept it, but he was undercover for the moment, and it was necessary. He looked at his big brother, the one who was his official right hand man, and the one who he knew would protect him no matter what.

"Ahh, I know that Seijuurou." He smiled again, an innocent smile misplaced in the mafia underworld.

"Should we go to the base now, Sena? I'm sure everyone else is getting worried."

They walk home silently, the night acting as their shield, protecting from their enemies. She certainly did love Sena, he was born to be her child, into a life of crime and blood, it was her duty to protect him, and the men who would give their lives to do the same.

Sena looked around, he was in a familiar place, somewhere he had been when he was young, before he inherited Di Fortuna, it was the place he had met Seijuurou and some of his other brothers. The thought brought back memories of the day he met Sejuurou. It was when he was only five, long before the blood started to flow.

* * *

_Sena had been living at home with his mother and father, it was peaceful, it was the time of his life where he lived in Japan and wasn't yet a part of the mafia that his father help to create. Sena was a sensible child, with quick feet, and a kind disposition, so he often was picked on by the older children when he was alone- and this is what led him to become as quick footed as he was._

_It was on this day that he was being picked on, and it was a beating much rougher than usual._

" _Little Sena, scared and white, let's beat him up and make him cry." The other children chanted._

"Juveniles..." _Sena thought to himself, he may be kind, but even he was cruel enough to defend himself if he needed to._

_A foot collided with his ribs, the small moan from his lips was a slipup on his part, but Sena didn't move, he fought the instincts built into him by his father- though he never did understand why it was his father trained him. The bullying continues, and almost breaks Sena's patience, that is until a boy came running by._

_The boy was large for his age, almost 6 he was strong, with wide shoulders and firm legs and arms. His hair was short, maybe a little too short, and his eyes were warm, full of emotion. When he spotted the young child being beaten on the ground he immediately charged, the bullies ran upon seeing him, only one of them being hit by his strong arms. The one that was hit immediately broke into tears, scattering dirt as he chased his friends, yelling that he'd get his big brother._

" _Little one, are you ok?" the black haired boy had asked. His voice was monotonous, yet his eyes were begging for warmth._

_Sena looked up, completely taken back by the boy's –the stranger's- kindness and smiled at him. He took the stranger's hand and was pulled to his feet. "Thank you. Are you ok?" he asked suddenly before getting the boy's name._

" _Of course I am. I am training." He replied._

" _No you're not, you've hurt yourself." Sena continued, he dragged the nameless boy to the bench. He looked at the boy, his golden-brown eyes boring into the boy's dark eyes._

_Sena knew the boy wasn't physically hurt- at least not at that moment, but there were tell-tale signs of emotional and psychological abuse, even if the bruises had healed- because Sena could see the fading yellow skin on his neck and bear arms._

_So Sena did the only thing he could. "You don't need to be afraid to ask for a hug big brother. I want you to be my friend and I will give you a hug whenever you want!"_

" _W-what do you mean...?"_

" _I'm Sena Kobayakawa. I want you to be my friend. I won't let_ anyone _hurt you. That's my promise to you." Sena vowed, and he would keep it, of that the boy was certain._

" _I'm Seijuurou Shin, I will protect you from everyone as well, and this is my vow to you, Sena." With that said, a soft, almost unnoticeable smile flitted onto the stoic boy's face, and it would always appear, whenever he saw the beautiful golden-eyed boy smile at him- even if no one else could see it._

_From then on, even when Sena went through the worse part of his life, and when he joined the mafia, Seijuurou didn't leave his side; he was going to keep his vow._

* * *

"Boss, what's wrong?" Seijuurou asked anxiously, the boy's face- hidden again by his hood- was changing to so many different expressions that Seijuurou didn't know what was wrong. Usually, his boss-brother was warm and open, or else completely monotonous, wearing his boss face. It was unusual for him to allow his emotions to influence his expression; it was dangerous if he allowed himself to be read so easily.

"Oh, I'm sorry Seijuurou, I was just thinking of the time we first met."

Seijuurou frowned at that, his scowl turning down. He didn't like his boss-brother to think of that day, because he knew Sena still blamed himself for the pain Seijuurou had to go through after that meeting. The pain from his parents and the pain of choosing the dark world over a normal life, Sena blamed himself for making Seijuurou 'unclean' as he called it.

"Sena..."  
with this the brunette turned around, his eyes glimmering from under his hood. It wasn't often his stoic brother called him by his name when they weren't safely behind secure walls. So he knew immediately what his brother-guardian was thinking, and automatically regretted letting his guard down.

"I know Seijuurou, I know..."

Just as he finished his sentence he noticed the house they had decided to take up as a base this time around. The lights in the upstairs windows were dark, and the downstairs was lit brightly with curtains drawn and silence coating the walls. Their little perimeter wall was average height, but unlike the average house, Sena knew his brother's weren't taking risk, they had reinforced it with steel and concrete, protecting themselves from the enemies that _would_ come.

Sighing imperceptibly, Seijuurou walked to the door and opened it for his boss, then, walking in behind him, he locked the door with its many locks, protecting the future of Di Fortuna.

"I'm home everyone." Sena called into the house.

Seijuurou took his jacket and hung it by the door, hiding it in a secret closet inoperable by those who did not reside within the average Japanese house.

"Welcome home, Sena."


	2. Boy turned Brother turned Boss

Sena was now sitting in the living room of the two story house, the one with the reinforced walls, and the innocent facade. Before him were nine men, the ones who made up his more constant guard and brotherhood, there were usually more but they proved more useful farther afield from Sena. They were of the blood that meant they were uncomfortable surrounded by people and a 'family atmosphere' they were instead more comfortable when it was just them and Sena. It made Sena lonely occasionally, though he never expressed this emotion because he knew it would just damage those close to him. He hated to think that his family could _never_ truly be together even if one day he found a way for them to be able to stay in one place indefinitely.

Sena, being the boss of Di Fortuna often had to make incredibly difficult, saddening decisions when it came to hiding their existence from the outside world; from the citizens (the innocents as Sena often called them) and the dark men who made up the mafia segment of the outside world. However, this decision was one of the hardest he had made since deciding he was going to drown his friends in his dark world and conform to their wishes.

They were a large group, alone in that house seven men constantly lived, sometimes all nine men before him would take up residence with him, and occasionally almost fifteen men could occupy the houses where he temporarily stayed, so to say it was difficult to hide their existence was an understatement- especially when the men before him weren't men- they were young teenage boys with appearances that didn't fail to attract attention- from enemies allies and fan girls.

"But Meteora, you can't expect us to split up with only Protezinone and Giavellotto within reaching distance of you- it's insane boss!" a young, tall man declared from his place on the couch opposite his boss.

He was tall, exceedingly so, his hair was short, only just brushing the nape of his neck, while it was black it shimmered blue in the sunlight, and darker so in the moonlight. His name was Oceano to the world, but to Sena he was his overprotective brother Kakei. His eyes were deep blue, glowing when he was thinking, and solidifying when he felt his brothers were under threat. He was slender, with well built arms and legs and a tone, flat stomach. His shoulders were wide and bore the burden of Sena and his brothers; he was Sena's second line of defence and took the job more seriously than anyone- except maybe Seijuurou, but that was an argument the two took pleasure in bantering out.

"As much as I think Kakei is overeating... I do think you're being a little too reliant on the Dragona famiglia not looking in Japan for you..." the man sitting next to Kakei explained, his tone was much more serious, as if often was at familial meetings, than what his voice usually took up. Usually he would be joking around throwing his clothes around the house until he was stripped to his boxers; he was the one who distracted everyone, keeping everyone happy- letting them forget the burdens they bore.

He too was exuberantly tall, just taller than Kakei; he was slender, more so than Kakei, with arms that were less filled out, and legs that were streamline- like a fish. His name was Acqua, and he lived in the water. His hair was dishevelled and messy, spikes and flicks thrown everywhere, as if he got out of bed and deemed himself presentable. His eyes were green like emerald, entrancing enough to get lost in, which is why he made the part of the family that created illusions, making people forget why they even suspected anything in the first place.

Sena tuned to the two boys, similar in age to himself, he ran a hand through his spiky brown hair and sighed. He thought to himself, while contemplating the length of his hair, that his brothers had a point, having only two people close to him was a dangerous thing, but something necessary.

"I know what you're saying, Kakei, I completely understand! But you know we can't all blend in together, it's dangerous enough us all living in the same house, we need to split up, and the only thing we can do is all join different high schools in the area, you know how dangerous it is if someone saw us. They would kill us all..." Sena whispered the last bit as he watched His two brothers, Kakei and Mizumachi, freeze with twin looks of grief.

Sighing to himself, Sena allows himself to think of the time he met the two brothers, though they aren't related by blood, they might as well be, they were closer than any two people Sena had ever seen, and they hadn't even met each other too long before Sena met them.

* * *

 _At this point of time Sena was seven, and of course the two tall boys had been almost eight. Sena hadn't been part of the mafia yet and he hadn't known Kakei and Mizumachi_ were _a part of it._

_He was at the beach with his mother, his father was working- in the mafia unbeknownst to Sena- and he had been playing when some people from school spotted him. By now Sena had amazing legs, taught to him by a brother not long after meeting Seijuurou, and took the initiative to run as far away from them as quickly as he could. That's when he ran to the top of the cliffs that bordered the ocean, he thought it would be safer there, and since his mother was sleeping on the beach in the warm sun, he knew he wouldn't be missed. It was there he heard the arguing._

" _Shut-up! I've had enough of it all! I try_ sooooo _hard, so hard! Yet no one notices, I've trained and trained, and all I get is looks of disgust! I don't care anymore! They've taken everything from me, my hobby, my dream, even my family! My famiglia!"_

_Though the shouts were angry, Sena could hear the desperation in the voice, hidden well behind the fury, the voice was begging for forgiveness and, something Sena was familiar with, rescue._

" _Mizumachi, please don't do this. I won't be able to keep the promise. I'll have to join you, and you know that! You are my famiglia now! You're my family, you can't just jump!"_

_When Sena saw the scene, a frown made its way onto his young face. He took on the cold disposition his father both hated and trained into him. His father called it his 'boss face', not that Sena understood what that meant. His eye's darkened and he took on almost a completely 180 personality switch. Cold and calculating- showing the personality he really held._

_The scene in front of him was two boys standing on the edge of the cliff about to commit suicide._

" _You know." He said, his voice cold, angry even. "If you're going to do something so selfish and so obviously against your own wishes, you should be quiet about it."_

_The boys started, almost falling unintentionally off the cliff, they turned and zoned their eyes on the seven year old boy who seemed to be egging them into suicide. However, it seems relief flashes across their eyes, giving Sena all he need to know about the two._

" _What the hell are you doing here? Go away little boy!" the tall blonde one yelled._

" _Why? You obviously don't care if you have an audience, since it's surprising your yells haven't gathered more people than just me." At this Sena lent against a tree to the left of the boys, watching them and their expressions._

" _What the hell are you-"_

" _I'm talking about wanting someone to come and stop you. Because I know you don't want to kill yourselves." He explains._

" _How would you know what we want? You don't know us, child." The blue haired boy explained with his eyes cold and dead._

" _Because I can see it." Sena explained, a soft, sad smile filtering onto his face, warming his eyes to the point of tears._

" _You don't know anything about us! You don't know what it's like, having your entire family killed before your eyes, you don't know the pain!" the blonde haired boy screamed, his feet moving him towards the short boy with the big attitude._

" _Maybe I don't. But I do know the pain of being ignored, and hurt by those you trust. I also know I would never betray or hurt you the way they have." Sena explains with calm, easy words that make both boys falter._

" _Y-you..."_

_Suddenly a great rumble makes Sena dive at the blue haired boy, knocking him away from the edge of the cliff and driving them both to the floor. His hands clamp on the blue haired boys shirt, and on the blonde haired boy's wrist that he grabbed unintentionally when he tried to save them._

_He was shaking and staring them in the eyes, trying to make sure they weren't injured in any way. "A-are you okay anikis?"_

" _Y-you just... s-saves us..." the blonde one exclaimed, unable to move the boy's hand from his wrist._

" _We're strangers... why would you..."_

" _Because I don't want you to be sad! I want you to be my friend, and I want you to trust me, I want to trust you!"_

_Both boys were taken aback by the child's actions and thereafter his words. All their lives they had never met anyone so openly worried about them._

_Kakei and Mizumachi had met in a mafia meeting between their famiglia, it was during a meeting about an alliance, so from even a young age they knew trust was something to_ never _give willingly. So to be openly confronted and asked to trust was something neither boy could explain._

_Looking into each other's eyes, realising, even if they would never admit it to each other, that the way they felt towards the boy still clinging to them was the same way they felt towards each other they made a silent agreement, they would not let the boy feel pain again –even if it meant abandoning their own famiglia to keep the boy safe, to make the boy who saved them was theirs and only theirs._

" _My name is Kakei, and this is Mizumachi." The blue haired boy explained to the sniffling boy straddling him with his hand fisted in his shirt._

" _Please stop crying squirt. Please..." Mizumachi begged as he removed the boy's hand from his sore wrist and held it in his slightly shaking hands._

" _Y-you're okay? You're not hurt?" Sena asked trying to rub the tears away without releasing Kakei's shirt._

" _Thanks to you we are." Kakei's smile was soft, it was a smile he hadn't used since learning the truth of his family, and of their brutal demise at the hands of their enemy._

" _M-my name's S-Sena. Sena Kobayakawa. Are you two going to be my famiglia? With Seijirou-nii and me?"_

" _Of course Sena."_

" _Yeah squirt, we can't leave you alone now, who knows what would happen to you." Mizumachi laughed the first laugh since Kakei could remember._

" _Ohhh, Mizumachi-nii, I'm not a squirt!"laughter filled the cliff on that day, and the vow made between Kakei and Mizumachi, no matter how silent and personal it was, was one they would never forget or break, even when they realised they'd probably be dragged back into the mafia they were trying to avoid._

* * *

"Everything will be fine." Sena vowed to them all, his boss face threatening to break. "I think it's time to eat though, don't you, we can continue this conversation this evening." Sena explained, taking the hint, Seijuurou and Protezione made their way to the kitchen with a few of the other boys to make dinner for their boss, and give the others time to think.

As Sena made it to his room, the most central in the entire house, he collapsed into the bed and sighed deeply, letting the tears gather at the corners of his eyes, letting his boss face break and the teenage boy he really was come to the surface.

He knew his brother-guardians meant well, and that most of them disliked the idea of going to school at all, but it was necessary, they _needed_ to blend in, to make it seem like they were _normal_ high school students. It was the reason Sena decided to move countries now of all times, it was the local high-schools' entrance exams, considering most of the members of Di Fortuna- or at least those who were a constant in Sena's life- were all around Sena's tender age of 16, it meant they were all old enough to apply for high-school and for it not to looks to suspicious, because if almost sixteen students suddenly transfer from Italy, alarm bells would sound and bullets would rain blood form the skies onto the streets.

Sena started to drift off, thinking about the time he was told he was to be the boss of Di Fortuna famiglia and that his own father was the second in command of the mafia group.

* * *

_He wasn't even twelve at the time- which according to Kakei was the average age civilian kept children were told of the dark world- he had just turned nine, and it was his birthday party. He had invited Mizumachi and Kakei, as well as Seijuurou to celebrate with him, but his father had sent them home early and took Sena into the basement where he trained him._

" _Sena, I have something important to tell you. You must listen and remember it all, so you understand me?" his father's warm voice asked._

_Sena respected his father beyond all others, he trained him and read stories to him, he was the man who Sena would go to when he was sad or angry, and his father never failed to bring his son back to his usual happy self._

" _Of course father, what is it?"_

" _Sena, you know how I sometimes travel to faraway places for work, and I even come home with injuries?" he asked and when his son nodded he continued. "Well up until now I've refused to tell you what I do when you asked. Today I will tell you son, because it is detrimental that you know and understand the danger you will be put under as you grow..."  
"Father..." Sena murmured when shivers of fear rushed through his body. He had never heard his father speak to him that way, the shaking in his father's voice scared him, it made him want to run away, but he found himself rooted to the spot, forced to listen to things he knew he would never forget._

" _I do not work in an amazing business Sena; I work in a far more dangerous occupation that sends me around the world to fight to save my famiglia's life." His father begins._

"Famiglia." _Sena thought to himself. It was the same word his anikis used when they had first met._

" _I work in the mafia. A dangerous, usually illegal gang of men and women who fight and trade and a lot of times betray eachother..."  
"Father! Why would you work for people like that?" Sena began. _"Why would father work for the same kind of people who hurt my brothers so much?"

" _Sena, it's a long story, but I was one of the people who made the family, and we're trying to change the mafia, we're trying to defend the innocents that get drawing into our world... people like you're brothers..." he trailed off as he stood to retrieve something from his desk drawer- the draw Sena was told never to look inside._

" _You will join this famiglia Sena, you are too young now, and I'm fighting my boss to ensure you get a few more peaceful years, but you will join, and one day you will be boss." At this point he handed Sena a weapon, it was a hand gun, average size with intricate details upon its metal face._

_The weight of the gun placed in his hands sent Sena's blood pounding, he looked at the gun shimmer in his hands, the way the light caught the black grip and silver barrel, and the way the golden detailing of the clip shone made his stomach tense in a nauseous way. it was so beautiful though._

" _You will learn to shoot Sena; I will start to train you soon. This is your gun now. And it will be your gun until it is time to give it to your son." He then pointed to the golden coin stamped into the grip and barrel. "You will kill for our famiglia, Sena; you will fight and kill for Di Fortuna."_

* * *

"SENA!" with a start Sena was upright with the gun usually holstered at his side touching the skin on the forehead of the one who had woken him. His golden eyes were dimmed to near black and his face held the impassive scowl he wore when faced with an enemy he was prepared to kill. His chest rose and fell irregularly as a cold sweat dripped off his nose and downs the back of his neck, traveling all the way down his back.

He met a pair of warm brown eyes and thick black hair and immediately lowered his gun until it touched the mattress.

Falling back he covered his eyed with his right forearm and released the gun. His breathing continued to labour until it was back to normal and he turned to the boy who sat silently waiting. He could sense the others outside the door, but ignored them in favour of the right-hand man whom he trusted to inform the others of anything they missed.

"I'm sorry Seijuurou-nii... I guess I'm a little jumpy still." He tried to laugh, though it came out forced and painful.

"Meteora... no Sena, dinner is ready, the other's are waiting and sent me up to retrieve you."

Now, anyone else would have freaked out or at least accepted the apology, but Sena knew that Seijuurou- and his other guardians for that matter- knew that he would never intentionally point any kind of weapon at them; it was a part of being in the mafia that was unavoidable. It was something all of the experienced and all of them understood. It was a survival instinct, one they had all honed together.

"Alright, I'll be right down." The sweat had stopped and his face was calm and serine, happy with his work Seijuurou got up and walk to the door, ushering the others to take their places at the table.

After a moment of self loathing Sena got out of his bed and walked down into the dining room where he knew a great feast waited.

Despite his certainty, he was pleasantly surprised to see a traditional Japanese meal waiting for him and a smile soon found its way onto his face.

"Well, good evening everyone."

All nine teens stood and bowed slightly with a smile playing upon their faces. "Good evening Boss/Sena" were his replies.

"Well Meteora, we have had time to think it over and we can see where you're coming from..." explained the ever elusive Nascosta.

Taken back by the man's use of his mafia name, Sena looked over to him and smiled. It seems everyone is on edge, unwilling to give away their names to anyone unworthy or untrustworthy.

"Everyone, while we are at home, it is safe to speak our names, and outside it is essential we speak them, we need to get used to it." He smiled, knowing full well everyone preferred to call him by his given name in the mafia; they all respected him and demanded everyone else respect him also.

"I know Sena, it's just..." Nascosta explained looking at the young boy beside him.

"I know Kid, I know." Sena sighed.

They started dinner then, quiet and thoughtful. It gave Sena the opportunity to look over the brothers who followed him half way across the earth just to stay with him and protect him.

He sat at the head of the table. To his left was Seijuurou, next to him were Mizumachi and Kakei, they all sit silently eating their Japanese foot, completely used to the Japanese cuisine. Next to them was Riku, Sena's friend form America, he had long white hair in a similar fashion to Sena's and legs just as quick, in fact, Riku was the one who taught Sena how to run all those years ago, to the mafia he was Intoccabile.

To Sena's right was Jumonji, he was a juvenile delinquent from France, his hair was short and blonde to the point it was just as white as Riku's, his eyes were the warm chocolate colour Sena had grown to look to when he needed stability. His mafia name was to him were his two friends, in the mafia world they were Huh-1 and Huh-2, Jumonji's subordinates, though to Sena they were brothers to him as much as Seijuurou was. One had long brown hair that settled at his shoulders, layered and often messy it was signature to him. His skin was darker than the other men at the table, he was of Mexican descent, and his family transferred him to France when he was young, that's where he met Shozo and Jumonji. His real name was Kuroki. The one next to him, known as Shozo had blonde hair and yellow tint glasses, he was French-German while he had very little German blood in him his great grandparents live in Germany their entire life, and his grandparents taught him German when he was young. He met his friends in France when they were all seven. All three were strongly built, with delinquent faces that scared everyone but Sena, their arms were timbres and their bodies hardened by both legal and illegal fight rings.

Next to the three known as the Huh-brothers was Testuma, also known as Treno in the mafia world, he was the most loyal of the group, unwavering and determined, if you gave him an order he followed it, not budging or changing anything about it, as if a steam train on a track, he was first loyal to his friend –Kid- and then Sena when Kid joined the family. He had dark eyes and dark hair with a strong body and firm resolve, though he didn't talk often, when he did he had a accented Japan from his life in America with Kid.

Of course, Kid sat opposite Sena, the other head of the table being his usual seat. Like Riku, he was incredibly intelligent with American decent; he often dressed in western clothes, keeping his lifestyle on a Texan ranch thick in his blood. His name in the mafia was Nascosta, and he was as true to Sena as Testuma was to him.

As if sensing the eyes of their boss, each and every teen on the table looked at him, smiling when they noticed the soft, warm smile making its way onto their young boss' tense face.

* * *

That evening found Sena and his guardians sitting in the living room. He sat on the only single seated couch and the other found themselves surrounding him in warm, comfortable silence.

"I'm going to tell you what school's you're going to." Sena began, and as soon as the words left his mouth everyone tensed. "From there we'll work out what we're going to do... specifically those whose schools are further away."  
"Sena..." Riku started.

"I know Riku, you need to go America for a while, that is already taken care of, you're going to meet up with the American branch and track down Pantera and Elettrica for me..." Sena continues.

"Okay, Jumonji, Kuroki and Shozo will go to Deimon with me; they will be in my class and all my lessons- Riku will ensure that." He started. Jumonji and his subordinates nodded and gave each other a signal that meant they would meet up later for a talk.

"Seijuurou will be going to Oujou," Sena watched as Seijirou stilled.

"Oujou... you're sending me to my old school?" he asked seriously, with a look of both relief and pain on his face.

"Yes, you need to see your friends again, and it makes more sense for you to go there than to another school- it would be too hard to avoid unwanted questions if you transferred schools and countries at the same time." When Seijirou nodded Sena relaxed a little.

"Kakei and Mizumachi will be transferring to Kyoshin, you haven't gone there before, but they're looking for students and you'll fit right in there." Both smiled, knowing that their mafia background took them away from public schooling.

"Kid, Testuma, and Riku when he's finished in America will be going to Seibu, but you have to be careful, there are people there from Riku and my past." He explains Cooley. Testuma looks to Sena with a strange expression.

"Will you be okay with so many of us so far away?" he asks his accented Japanese flowing almost effortlessly off his tongue.

All his guardians know at least five languages; they all know Japanese and Italian as well as English and French, and then each of them have their own specialty, though they all know disjointed German.

"Yes Testuma, I am figuring a way to make this work better, and already have a few ideas... Seijuurou will probably be training right..." a nod from the stoic teen, "which means he'll patrol, we own the houses on either side of this one, and there are basements with connected tunnels so we'll split ourselves between them... just to bring down any suspicion..."

"What about the schools themselves Sena... don't schools demand you join a club of some kind...?" Jumonji asks, now knowing the Japanese system as well as the others.

"They do indeed... I think we'll have to make that one of our first priorities, we need to be similar, and probably a sports team." He muses almost to himself.

"Isn't that counterintuitive?" asks kid form under his cowboy hat.

"How so Kid?" he stops himself from adding the brotherly suffix, knowing kid is uncomfortable with it in front of others.

"Well, we're trying to lay low, not show off our skills- and they are skills that would certainly gain attention- yet going for a sports team would make us the center of attention..." he trails off as he sees Sena's understanding of his worry.

"Yes, while that might be true, out enemy doesn't know our faces, they know our mafia names, but not our civilian names or faces. Why would they look at a sports team for us? Knowing we're trying to blend in –if they figure out we're in Japan- they would look for the most inconspicuous students... looking for those with something to hide... besides, if we go for a supports team, don't you think our skills would stay sharp, and we'd be prepared for anything." A flicker of a sinister smile tugs at Sena's lips before he reins it in.

Suddenly a sound tinkles in the air and Sena pulls out his communicator. Reading a message sent to him from another of his more frequent guardians he smiles a small smile and replaces the communicator in his pocket.

"As you know, Re and Ragno weren't on the jet with us yesterday." He smiles, "I've just received confirmation that they have arrived safely in Japan and are stationed in their safe houses. They will meet us at various times." Sena explains to the questioning faces of his guardians.

"Hahahaha, Re Falso has come too, ne?" Mizumachi asks with a laugh on his lips.

"Mizumachi-nii, you know he doesn't like being called that." Sena tries.

"Sena, you know he shouldn't be called Re- you should- so he's Re falso, as punishment for his arrogance." Riku explains with a soft smile.

"I need to get ready to leave. Take care, Sena. I'll see you seen enough Otouto." He squeezes Sena's shoulder as he passes, even with the cocky grin that never really leaves his face, his tight grip on Sena's shoulder is enough to convey his pain t leaving his little bother's side. For that is who Sena is to Riku, his little brother.

Sena muses about that for a moment as he nods to his guardians to disperse for bed, he wonders why, when they share a face, they aren't related by blood stronger than that of cousins. They are simply cousins to each other, no more, no less- yet, Riku is Sena's aniki.

As his other guardians leave, and Seijuurou and Riku are left- Riku leaving almost immediately after- Sena walks into the kitchen, only to be greeted by a tall, warm glass of cocoa.

"I thought you'd need this." The stoic teen elaborates to his boss.

"Thank you Seijuurou-nii. I guess I need something like this. Sorry about earlier... I really am." He mutters into the glass, hoping he didn't sound ungrateful for everything his first friend has done for him.

"Sena..." the stoic teen takes a seat with a mug full of what suspiciously looks like coffee. He takes a seat in front of Sena; where he's usually sit beside him. "You don't need to say sorry for something so natural."

"It isn't natural to attack your own brother Seijuurou-nii, and the mafia is creating a situation where it is. It's not right, and it's not the first time I've done it. I almost took Jumonji-nii's shoulder out last time he tried to move me when I fell asleep on the couch, not to mention the time Shozo-nii almost lost his hand when he put a blanket on me. I keep going to attack you all, and there's no one out there who knows you guy better than I do, I _know_ you and your movements and your movements better than _anyone_! I could even argue I know better than yourselves... yet I keep attacking you in my sleep!" The panic begins to rise in Sena's chest as he realises how many times he's tried to kill the men he trusts the most.

"Sena..." the baritone soothes him instantly. Suddenly he questions when that happened, when simply hearing his first brother's voice could sooth him and make all his panic recede. _Then again_ , he muses to himself _when hasn't Seijuuroui calmed me?_

"Sena, the mafia is changing, because of you. Soon enough you'll make it possible for mafia children to be allowed to be children, to not have to be trained as you and the others have been." He explains, while he knows he will never truly understand the pain that his boss, and his other 'brothers' have gone through- being from a non-mafia family- he knows he has to be strong for his boss, any kind of fear he shows when a gun is pointed at his face, or blood coats his hands, could make his boss fall into the darkness. Though, after so many years he has no fear of guns, pointed at him or not, and blood is not second nature- a second skin.

"Sena, it's been a long week, you're tired, and when the mind is tired the past has free reign to wreak havoc." He watches Sena's eyes widen when he hears Seijuurou's analysis, and then slowly, Sena's eyes slip closed as the drugs in his drink take effect. It was a deal between the guardians, if the boss was under mental attack from his past, a medicated sleep is a must, and it was usually Seijuurou who did the deed.

Sighing to himself, Seijuurou moves and picks his boss up off his chair; his head lolling until it leans comfortably on Seijuurou's chest, said teen tightened his grip on his boss' legs and shoulders, as if his grip would release the burden on his chest.

As he walked through the door out of the kitchen he was met by the other seven men who resided in the house. Each of them had a mask of worry and understanding on their faces, especially those who knew Sena before the mafia did.

"Good job Seijuurou," was all that was said by Kakei before he led the others away to their rooms.

Moving to the most central room, where simple blue walls and wooden furniture greets them, he moves his boss into bed, pulling the covers to his shoulder he smoothes the chaotic hair until his boss' breathing evens out. Then, moving in the shadows, he walks through the door to the left of him and enters his own room. Though, tonight he knows he'll get very little sleep, in fact he knows that for the next few days, maybe even the next week, he'll be wide awake, at least until his boss is comfortable in their new environment.


	3. Of training and trust

Sena woke with a startling feeling of loneliness, one he hadn't experienced in a long time. For a moment his instincts urged him to drift into the shadows, to hide with his surrogate mother and prepare to fight. Then, his more sane side- the more trusting side – led his mind into calm serenity, allowing him to think before acting. Though it was difficult ignoring the base animal instincts bred into him from a young age; he lived in a world where thinking could both kill and save you.

When he finally stopped, his acute hearing widened and he started to hear the soft breathing of his brothers in the rooms beside him. He could hear noises from downstairs, chair scraping and pots clanging- he knew Seijirou must be awake.

Allowing himself to calm further he made his way downstairs, not even glancing at himself in the mirror- he had nothing to hide, and no pretences to uphold in this house.

"Good morning, Sena." A warm, even voice greeted him as he walked in.

"Good Morning Kakei." He greeted back.

The blue eyes of his brother shone with worry and protectiveness, the mixture made him outwardly hard and unreadable. His passion shone before the more private emotions, but the walls of determination dropped around Sena- much to his pleasure- and he could see the worry plain as day.

Sena wasn't stupid, he knew that his brothers had drugged him- they had done it more than a few times before- and every morning they'd all have worried, guilty looks in their eyes. It didn't bother Sena of course; they were worried about him and acted accordingly. It was their duty and pride to care for Sena's well being- so it wasn't his place to retaliate against a gesture of their love for him.

Smiling to his brother he took a seat next to him, Kakei smiled back- a flash of relief entering his eyes- and reopened the newspaper he had discarded in favour of greeting his younger brother.

Seijuurou turned to greet Sena with a traditional Japanese breakfast, only to have it stolen by a half-asleep Mizumachi as he went to take a bite.

"Ohhh. Mizumachi! That's my breakfast!"

"You're too slow Sena; if you were faster maybe you wouldn't be so small." The pout upon Sena's face was enough to reassure Mizumachi that he –and the others- was not being blamed for their decisions the night before.

Mizumachi really hated it. He hated it with every fibre of his being. To have to drug their brother to calm him down- to let him get even _one_ good night's sleep- it made his fists clench and made him want to scream at the world and ask why it had to be so _God-_ **dammed** -unfair to make such a pure an innocent _child_ so pained and haunted. Of course, he only ever voiced his fears to Kakei, for they were some of the only people in the family who knew to the full extent what Sena had to deal with from a young age.

He hated it, hated it all. So when Sena smiled at them, even the morning after they had drugged him, they knew he appreciated the night's sleep; he'd brush off their guilty looks, smile warmly, and then he'd sit with them. He'd greet them, hug the ones who were comfortable with it, just look that look of acceptance you couldn't help but feel calm under at the ones who weren't and sit with them for every meal he could. It was as if he could _read_ them. Like he could read their fucking _souls._ Of course Mizumachi knew Sena could read so much more, and he appreciated it, because it meant that Sena was never judging or prejudice, he was open, understanding, and most of all Sena loved them all as his friends and brothers.

Sighing to himself as he felt the aura coming off of his tall blonde brother, Sena dug into his new breakfast- the one Seijuurou had placed in front of him almost as soon as Mizumachi had touched his old one, the rice was warm and the miso smooth, as it always was.

Seijuurou always cooked, often times Jumonji or Tetsuma helped him, but sometimes Seijuurou just enjoyed cooking in Sena's presence with no help or distraction. Sena understood the sentiment; it was one of the only things Seijuurou could call his own- for he had to share Sena with everyone in the house- and even some people outside it. So Sena just smiled and ate the food- showing Seijuurou the appreciation he felt for the warmth it filled him with.

After finishing breakfast the house was quiet, there was no more movement and no unusual activity; most of the residents still hadn't made it out of bed; in fact only Sena, Seijuurou, Kakei, Mizumachi, and Kid were out of bed. It wasn't surprising, but at the same time it made Sena worry.

"Kid, where's Tetsuma-nii?" he asked when the Texan brother had finished his more western breakfast.

"Tetsuma is out running an errand for me; he had a bit of jet-lag still and was restless." He explained as he read over one of the paper's Kakei had discarded.

"I see; does anyone know where Jumonji, Kuroki, and Shozo-nii are?"

"They're probably still sleeping." Seijuurou informed his worried brother. He had already cleared everything off the table and put in the dishwasher- Sena could only imagine he was on his way to start his morning exercises as he usually did after the breakfast rush.

"I see, then I'll go wake them up." With a smile, a nod and a wave Sena was upstairs and at the door of the three brothers not of blood.

With three distinctive raps at the door he waited for a reply. When he was only met by soft breathing, a light snore from Jumonji, and murmurs from Kuroki and Shozo he entered with a sigh.

"Ne, Jumonji! Kuroki! Shozo! It's time to wake up! It's already nine o'clock; we still need to do stuff today." Walking up to the sleeping blonde Sena couldn't help marvel at the sheer strength he exuded, the powerful image was helped only by the scar on his cheek he had received when he and Sena first met.

_Sena was twelve at the time and he was already part of the mafia world. Sena, Seijuurou, Mizumachi, and Kakei had moved to France with the adults caring for Sena while he learned the ways of the mafia at the time. They were all settling in somewhat, but still missed their Japanese home._

_Of course Mizumachi had led them astray; he had been bored and told them he wanted to explore the local town. Wanting nothing more than to please his big brother, Sena heartily agreed and they snuck out, which was surprisingly easy considering Sena was to be under 24-hour surveillance and protection, but four bored, almost-thirteen-year-old boys were never to be trifled with._

_Of course, that's where the problems started. First was the fact Mizumachi just_ couldn't _keep his clothes on, they –meaning Kakei and Sena- spent most of their time chasing after him with handfuls of his clothing trying to get him dressed before he was arrested- because even if it was easy to bail him out again with a mention of Sena's name, it was a hassle to have to go home again and get the adults' help. Then there was the issue with Seijuurou's fascination with trying to train off of anything that looked remotely like a pull-up bar. First it was a streetlamp, then it was the awnings over a store front, it took all their effort to get him to stop before he decided to use two decorative posts as push-up points. By the time lunch was in full swing Kakei and Sena were exhausted, lost, and more importantly hungry. Of course Seijuurou and Mizumachi were no worse for wear, Mizumachi was hungry, and Seijuurou was just watching Sena, not really caring they were in the middle of the woods, in the middle of France, with no idea where they were._

" _So, what are we going to do now?" Kakei's monotonous voice resounded off the trees. He was sitting next to Sena in their little circle._

" _I don't know, but I'm HUNGRY!" Mizumachi whine. He was rocking back and forth with his knees pulled into his chest. "Ne, ne! Kakei, get me some food please?!" he called to the blue haired pre-teen._

" _And where," Seijuurou began, speaking for the first time, "do you suggest we get food?"_

" _I don't know! I'm HUNGRY!" was Mizumachi's intelligent response._

" _I know! Why don't we walk around and see if we can get our bearings." Sena suggested as he stood and brushed the bracken off his pants. "We might even find some people," he smiled._

" _Or some FOOD." Mizumachi brightened at the thought of food and just about pulled Kakei to his feet._

" _I'm up." He breathed impatiently._

_So the boys walked, not really knowing where they were going, but enjoying the time none the less. Sena walked in front with Seijuurou glued to his side. Kakei and Mizumachi strolled behind them- though not too far from their little boss' side._

_It was a few hours later they came to a clearing. It was empty of all but a few logs in a semi-circle of what looked suspiciously like an old fire-pit. There were summer flowers swaying all around, but otherwise it was quiet, that was until Sena heard a snapping to his left._

_Without thinking much about his actions, Sena dove towards the sound with the effortless speed that had grown to be natural to him. He could hear the protests of his brothers, but choosing to ignore them he kept running, his golden eyes focused on the top of a large pine tree in front of him._

" _Careful! You're gonna' fall!" Sena yelled in broken, frantic French._

_A pair of warm, coffee eyes wheeled towards him as a young boy- no older than thirteen- took a step onto the next highest branch close to him. His eyes widened of course as the sound of snapping, twisting bark and wood reached his ears._

_Next thing anyone knew there was a pile of children in the bracken of the pine tree. Green needles rained down as bark and dust settled to the ground._

" _Sena!" three terrified boys yelled in the debris._

_When they caught sight of spiky brown hair they also caught the scent of blood and the sight of dusty blonde hair. Sena was on the floor, sprawled out like he had just taken a tackle, almost straddling him was a pre-teen, thicker than Sena he had arms like timber and legs thick like the bows on the trees. Blood was dripping from his cheek as he crouched over Sena's body, the drops hitting Sena's face and running in a thin line down his cheek, one hand was on either side of Sena's head. More branches fell from the hole in the branches the boy had made, and his back bore the impact- instinctively protecting the fairly fragile looking Sena._

" _Are you ok?" the boy asked in flawless French._

" _I'm fine." Sena had breathed. As he moved to sit up the boy shifted, leaning back on his hips, but he did not move from on top of the young Sena. "But you are not." Sena stared wiping the blood from the shallow cut on the boy's flawless face._

_Now Sena had a closer look he couldn't deny that the boy was a strong, intelligent thing. His face and chest were all planes and angles, his arms were flexing and flinching as Sena moved and his legs held his bulk off of Sena, and Sena instinctively knew the boy was acting not to hurt him._

" _My name is Sena Kobayakawa." He explained as he cleaned the rest of the blood beading on the fresh wound._

" _I am Kazuki Jumonji." The blonde boy had replied._

_Sena instantly knew of the last name and his blood boiled at the though. Jumonji was the name of a mafia family that discarded all the children of the generation. Of course, he knew Jumonji probably didn't know it, because the children were adopted away almost instantly. However, the warm chocolate eyes showed honesty and compassion, and Sena couldn't help but smile._

" _Thank you for saving me, Sena. I don't think I could have gotten away as unscathed as I have." He replies smoothly, a smile was lighting on his thin lips._

_Jumonji could honestly say that he had never felt as warm as he did when the young brunette- who obviously wasn't French- smiled at him. The smile was open, warm, and trustworthy. He had been betrayed before, and he had trusted before. Though, he never felt as happy as to have been caught by the brunette, he couldn't explain it, it made him want to laugh and embrace the boy._

" _Let me repay your favour by being your friend." Jumonji smiled softly, a smile probably only Sena could see._

" _Oi! You need to ask us permission before you can be Sena's friend." Another blonde yelled as he ran towards Sena and Jumonji._

 _Sena let a thick, happy laugh bubble from him as he watched Seijuurou shrug and walk towards a tree branch- knowing full well he was going to train- and as Mizumachi and Kakei approached his new friend, a shake of the head from Kakei and a furious scowl from Mizumachi at the thought of sharing his brother with yet_ another _person._

_Of course, that started Jumonji's friendship with Sena and his misfit bunch of brothers, though, if he was honest, he would have it no other way._

Sena is pulled from his thoughts when thick, pale arms erupt form beneath the thin summer sheet of Jumonji's bed. They circle themselves around Sena's slim waist and pull him towards the warm bed. He's pulled towards the planar chest of the blonde haired boy he met in France and is squeezed close- as if he'll disappear any other way.

After a few moments of struggle the blonde stops moving and sighs contentedly, his arms relax and allow Sena to sit up. He looks over his brother in disbelief as he rolls on to his back and scratches his stomach in his sleep- as sprawled out as his is it's a wonder he fits on even the double bed he owns.

 _It seems old habits die hard_. Sena muses to himself. After their first meeting he realised that Jumonji was a very clingy person, or maybe that was Europeans in general? Sena has always been grabbed by the blonde- and his German companion – whenever they were insecure or worried. After so many years the instinct to seek comfort had dulled to comfortable brushes of hands or arms when anyone in the famiglia was insecure, though Jumonji was slower to accept the more intimate embraces to soothe him. Sometimes they- Jumonji and his companions especially- would just pick Sena up for a moment before placing him back on his feet and walking off. It was as if they needed that comfort, needed to know Sena was there, he was uninjured and he was healthy. Sena of course was all too happy to take the embraces, or allow his hands to brush with the others'; he was happy to be hugged, or for one of his brothers to sit too closely for most people's comfort- because it was a sign of trust, and a sign of companionship that most friends _never_ got to experience.

Sighing to himself and standing again Sena decided to let his brothers sleep- he can hear from their heavy breathing that they won't wake any time soon.

He left the room and went downstairs. He was greeted by Mizumachi who promptly dragged him downstairs into the communal wreck room for some game play and some training thereafter. Seijuurou would join them soon after, and Kakei would calmly sit in one of the couches watching Sena wipe the virtual floor with Mizumachi in an uncountable number of games.

Laughter filled the wreck room as Sena's character killed both Seijuurou's and Mizumachi's characters.

"Now now Sena, you know you need to be careful." Kid chided from his napping position on the couch. "If it starts too well it won't end well."

Sena laughs as he continues to play the various games Mizumachi, and eventually Tetsuma when he arrives home, try to beat him at.

As they continue to play Mizumachi gets restless, sitting for more than ten minutes is a miracle that usually ends in roughhousing and a pile of bodies with Sena on the bottom. True to the norm Mizumachi is soon tickling Sena senseless as Testuma catches the various pillows and game items being thrown around. Kid sighs and shifts his hat lower down his face, trying to sleep amongst the ruckus. Of course, eventually Sena escapes the long hands of Mizumachi and uses Kid as a shield. Mizumachi pounces and kid is pulled into the fray.

"Woah! What did I tell them." He sighs incredulously to Kakei who is still enjoying peace on the other side of the wreck room.

He laughs a little until he's hit squarely in the face by a pillow. Sena smirks as the giant of a boy jumps him and joins in the boss abuse.

No-one hears the hydraulic sigh of the doors as Seijuurou enters, his body is covered in a thin layer of perspiration from his jog but as soon as he sees Sena's tears he jumps into action.

Eventually they all end up attacking each other. The pillows and tickling continues well into the afternoon, everyone forgetting the fact they had a long list of things that needed taking care of. Suddenly three new faces join the games as Kuroki, Shozo, and Jumonji join the game of boss abuse that seems ever so reoccurring amongst the brothers.

When the dust and pillows settled Sena couldn't help but smile, he loved times where his brothers and he could forget about the mafia.

Another reason for Sena's decision to move was the fact Japan was peaceful for the most part; they could all grow emotionally as well as physically in a place such as this. Sena hoped that his brothers would learn more about the outside world- especially those who were mafia born and bred.

Smiling from under the pile of bodies he couldn't help the euphoric laughter from ripping from his lips. His brothers soon followed and soon enough they were holding their sides in pain from the stitches the laughter was causing.

"I think it's time for dinner eh Sena?" Mizumachi laughed as he wiped some stray tears from his eyes.

"Yeah. Seijuurou, what's for dinner tonight?"

"How about some ravioli?" he asks as he stands.

"Sounds great." The smile on Sena's face is enough to warm the hearts and settle the fears of every man in the room; they all feel the protection the boy promises in his smile. Each and every one of them and their missing bothers also, feel the protection that the boy promised to them when they all met him. That is something special, and something they will protect tin return for being accepted by his all encircling arms.


	4. What was taught and what was lost

Sena woke that morning with a strange feeling. It wasn't particularly bad, but it certainly wasn't making him smile brightly and spit rainbows either. It was one of those feelings you get when the unknown is about to happen.

He would swear on his life later that day that he usually listened to his intuition, that he was tired, calm, or that _nothing_ could happen to them- them being his family- in such a small, secluded town. Of course, he would also swear on his life that his brothers weren't crazy, that being the boss of a mafia at sixteen- being something about ten when he started being boss- and that having a family made up solely of boys similarly aged wasn't absolutely crazy, so maybe swearing on his life wasn't all that reliable.

As he made his way downstairs again he spotted Seijuurou stretching out his legs and shoulder, knowing the stoic boy was going for a run Sena approached him. It had been a long while since Sena had done any true exercise. _Do it later Meteora, you're tired, you should relax for as long as you can._ His brothers would say to him. Sena had the indignation to scowl at them like a child explaining in his 'boss voice' that _; no, I'm not going to rest so I might just go out on my own, thank-you-very-much._

"Do you think I could come for a run with you?" Sena asked as he neared the hooded boy.

"Of course Sena, I was just going to loosen my muscles- I feel a little tense lately." He replied smoothly, he rolls his shoulders as if to emphasise his assessment.

Sena paused momentarily at the comment- not long enough to the stoic boy to notice of course. Seijuurou was never _tense_. He was wary, yes; he was always on alert, but he was never _tense._ It gave Sena the smart idea to reconsider the pinwheel feeling in the pit of his stomach while he pulled on one of his more discrete hoodies.

As he stretched for a moment, making sure his legs would not freeze on him during the run; Sena stood and faced his brother. A small, warm smile filtered onto his face as he called into the house, he was met with some grunts from the still sleeping occupants, but he knew full well they were aware even in their slumber.

The run was silent- as it often was. Sena never felt the need to divulge his life to the stoic, warm-hearted boy to his left. Of course, that could be due to many factors. He spent almost every waking moment with Seijuurou- he had since he was young, but that wasn't the reason. It could be the fact that Seijuurou went out of his way to know _everything_ about Sena, all the way down to paper cuts he received while doing paperwork, and as creepy as that sometimes was, it wasn't the reason either. Sena believed it was because neither of them needed to know simplistic, idiotic things most friends needed to know to feel accepted. Most friends needed to ask 'how are you' to feel they were friends, they needed to know _everything_ or else feel offended when- _no you don't know that, I didn't tell you-_ to feel close. Seijuurou and Sena weren't like that, were never like that. Sena trusted Seijuurou, knew if there was something that needed to be said or divulged- good or bad- then Seijuurou would not hesitate to take him to the side, to make Sena's time _his_ time, and tell him exactly what was on his mind. Sena might have to fight the others to tell him things, because they were far too preoccupied with protecting Sena to protect themselves, but with Seijuurou, Sena never needed to worry that there was something being unsaid, and that often left Sena feeling very refreshed and warm. Because he was trusted wholly by everyone in his family and one cannot help but feel humbled by that.

"Sena." Seijuurou mumbled from under his thick hood.

"Yes, Seijuurou, what is it?"

Sena didn't look up, he could hear the hesitation and _pain_ in his brother's voice, and that hurt him a little.

"I really don't like the thought of only _Protezione_ and the _Huhs_ being in school with you... I know it's your decision in the end, but I can't help but object..."

Sighing imperceptibly Sena can't help but look up into his brother's deep, dark eyes as they jogged in the morning mist. He knew, just knew that out of all his brothers it would be Seijuurou that voiced his objections in private. He was prepared, but couldn't help the hurt he felt. He was trusted, oh god he was, but he was also loved far more than he believed he should be.

"I know Seijuurou. Believe me; please believe me. If I had the choice, if I could rightly do so without endangering us I would have us all in the same school- in the same class with the same schedule if I could! I don't want to be without any of you, I don't want to spend even an hour without being near you. You guys are like my life; you guys, my brothers _are_ my life!" Sena stresses as his breathing becomes a little more ragged. "But I cannot, I can't rightly have you all in one school, and certainly not in once classroom, it would be too suspicious, not even that idiotic famiglia from America could ignore that kind of transfer and suspicious coincidence. I bet even _Calcio_ of all of our brothers would know how suspicious that kind of coincidence was." Sena almost laughs. "And coincidence in this dark life is instant death. I cannot have any of you dying on me; not you, or Jumonji, or Mizumachi or Kakei, or Rei for that matter, _no-one."_ Sena almost seethes through his anguish.

A sudden pressure appears on his forehead as he realises he's stopped. A large hand presses to the back of his head in a calming, warm pressure that leaves his protests halted as warm breath drifts through his dampened bangs.

"I know Sena; believe me when I say I know. You care for us too much sometimes. I will help settle the others into this new routine as best I can, but you know how stubborn they can be."

Smiling, feeling warm and accepted again, Sena starts to jog again, and soon enough the steady slap of sneakers on the damp road join him.

Of course, nothing ever goes to plan for a mafia family, and soon Sena notices both the jumping shadows in the morning's dark light, and the swift closing of the gap between Seijirou and himself.

"It's too bad these morning jogs can't be more private eh _Giavellotto?"_ Sena asks smoothly as he leads his brother into a secluded part of the river bank which they job by.

"Yeah, usually it's our brothers that beg for our attention. Though, I can't help but expect _Oceano_ or _Acqua_ to jump out from around the corner."

Understanding the code Sena slows his jog to a stop. He knows Seijuurou would never leave them vulnerable.

Ever since Sena became official boss he was sure to equip his brothers accordingly. Along with various hand-to-hand and long distance weaponry, besides various legal and illegal means to conceal them, Sena set each of his brothers up with communication means of sorts. Each brother had a 'panic-button', a mechanism somewhere on their body- be that internally or externally concealed- that once triggered sent a signal to another mechanism concealed within or on each of them to alert the _entire_ famiglia- that being all the brothers unless somewhere near one of the international bases- that someone was in danger.

Sena had an internal device just under the skin by his navel. His panic button was hard to activate for anyone besides him, but also pretty easy to conceal and east to activate without notice. Or course it meant ruining his shirt as he had to physically get under his skin. His receiving mechanism was just below his left ear, hidden behind a scar he received when he was only eleven. Of course, by the time he had the implant he had already memorised every single alert so he knew _exactly_ whom was in danger when the signal rang out.

Seijuurou- and most of the other brothers- had internal devices, explaining that they'd rather not even chance loosing or missing the signal.

Seijuurou's 'panic-button' was concealed under a big black tattoo on his right forearm. When he activated it, it often looked like he was adjusting a glove, or fixing the cuff of his shirt. He never had to ruin his shirts to activate the button, though his was more noticeable than Sena's was, but Sena could not risk having his found. Seijuurou's receiver was also internally concealed- one of only three brothers to do so- his was found in the crook of his neck, placed around the area where his neck and right shoulder met. He often said it was his most sensitive spot, and therefore his reaction time was quicker- Sena though it was simply because he had a nasty scar there and felt concealing the device there would make Sena feel less guilty for it. Of course, Seijuurou also knew every signal, but he was most attuned to the signal form Sena's panic button.

Within minutes both had received brief signals from both _Oceano_ and _Acqua_ confirming that their signals had been received. Later the signal from _Protezione_ and the _Huhs_ would be felt by their receivers, but before then they were surrounded.

The men surrounded the boys, not caring they were out skilled, Sena and Seijuurou were far too strong to be taken by a mere six men- let alone men who didn't even make up the lower echelon of the Dragona famiglia.

The men were shabby, undertrained, and far too filled with some unrighteous zest that made them believe they could flaunt the Dragona symbol, as if they were actually considered a part of that retched famiglia to begin with. They were looking for glory, believing they were good enough to advance, to become one of the highly spoken members who meant something.

Sena found himself smiling wickedly at the men's idiocy. _**Idiota**_ Sena thought **.** _ **What idiots to be tempted by some tales of glory. You will die like swine, you are simply trash made to delay us, and Di Fortuna will never be taken by such idiots that even the**_ **Dragona** _ **wish to step on.**_ Sena's smile twisted into something vile and once Seijuurou caught sight of this wished he had never let his brother out of the house.

The smile was one that made all the brothers cower- it wasn't the 'boss-face' they could all joke about, it was the 'mafia-face' they all cursed Sena's father for creating. It was a truly black, evil smirk that was worn by the Dragona boss, and all the bosses like him, when they were culling the weak and spineless.

They charged then, quickly, and with a sharpness that came from adrenalin, and not from skill. There were boys amongst the men, ones who couldn't have seen even sixteen years. They were childish, without proper training, much to Sena's displeasure. He would mutely think while he fought, that he wanted to stretch his skills on worthy opponents, not lambs sent to the slaughter by their shepherds.

As Sena weaved in and out of the punches, his feet blurring now and then as he moved- leaving an afterimage of himself- his mind was casted back to when he first started learning the skills that were on display to his enemies- both terrifying and entrancing them. For Sena's movements were a work of art, something that was to be watched in awe, something you only saw once in a life time. Sena's movements were a dance, and his dance partner- as it always was- was death itself.

* * *

_It was long before his father had given him his gun that Sena had begun to learn the skills that would one day be the only difference between life and death. He had always been a quick-learning child, smart in his mind and body, but he learned to run faster than he had learned to do anything else. His feet were his asset, and once his friend turned brother turned guardian had taught him the basics he took it from there, soon outrunning his friend. Of course, his father had seen this and acted accordingly._

" _Sena, you will master this skill, and you will learn to use it to your advantage,"_

" _But why father?" Sena has asked yet again, he didn't like the thought of using the pure running his brother had shown him for anything else but to run. He didn't._

" _Because son, it is your only duty."_

_So from there it started, his father was tough, brutal in fact, he didn't hesitate to make his son cry, and didn't even flinch when a stray hand cause blood to drip from his son's mouth as he panted._

" _F-father, it hurts..." Sena would moan as the pain grew worse and worse._

" _Then get stronger and avoid the hits."_

_From that moment on Sena learned never to complain, if he did his father's eyes would grow cold and distant, the lessons would grow more painful and he'd just end up in even more pain by the end._

_The lessons lasted for a good number of hours every day- Sena was often homeschooled when he was between the ages of nine and twelve, but it wasn't the homeschooling that children were encouraged to receive, it was brutal endurance and stamina training as well as physical battering and strengthening._

_He'd run miles and miles before performing various strengthening exercises, then finally technique training in every form of martial arts- both common and illegal. By the time he was ten he could have beaten many children in their late teen- of course it was only later her realised why he was being trained so harshly._

_His father left for a while when Sena was ten, only for a year, when he returned battered and broken to the point that both Sena and his mother thought they'd lose him, but that's a different story._

_It was during that year that Sena came into his own. Left alone with his developing skills – the ones that were developing exponentially- he learned where his body was comfortable, where his weaknesses laid and how to make them his strengths._

_The power within his body- if left unchecked- would have surely taken him over, made him vile and dangerous, and Sena knew this. He was smart enough to realise his father was an ignorant, and often times arrogant man- he didn't know Sena's true strength and left a half trained child alone during a crucial time- so Sena had to react accordingly, he had to train to control the rushes of power coming into full blossom within his juvenile body._

_He trained with Kakei, Mizumachi, and Seijuurou, all of them saddened by their brother's bruised and broken form every time he trained. Kakei and Mizumachi trained him how their father's trained them, from them he learned practical skills that were useful in mafia life- for Kakei and Mizumachi recognized the signs of a boss in training. From Seijuurou he learned control and stamina. He learned the discipline of a good workout, and the importance of relaxing when necessary. They were very different lessons, coming from very different walks of life- but lessons they were none the less- and lessons that were to form the base for his future life._

_Of course, later in his life, as he became boss and found the rest of his guardians he learned new skills- each of the boys giving him something more. Though, as he always said to them- he would never stop learning, because the day he stopped learning was the day he became arrogant._

_It was from their training, when Sena was just coming into his own that Sena's smooth, yet sharp dance came to life. He created a sharp style that often left his opponents at a loss as to_ when-the-hell _he got behind them. His fighting would one day be signature. It would be the movements of his body that would give him his name, and also his occupation- he was death's meteor- Meteora di Morte._

_Of course, it was far too late for his enemies by the time they realised Sena was behind them, because they were usually falling into a puddle of their own blood at this time._

* * *

Shocked out of his own thoughts by the sound of gunfire, Sena once again streaks past his opponents; his sharp placed footsteps create an echo in the alleyway, making it even more difficult to pinpoint him, then again, they would never be able to place him anyway- he might as well be a reaper.

"Meteora! Watch your back!" he heard _Oceano_ call out to him.

Taking the advice he ducked towards the ground, spinning around just in time to catch _Acqua_ diving from behind a wall, in his hands- glinting in the afternoon light- were his knives. It was his signature in the mafia world, knives as long as his forearm with a slight curve in them, they were often holstered on his sleek thighs, and when removed were like shark teeth- serrated only slightly. With swift movements, like a fish through water- the men fell to the ground, heaps of trash compared to the men that stood in the carnage.

"Meteora, are you alright?" _Oceano_ worried as he scanned the small boy with the drawn hood.

" _Oceano_ , _Acqua_ , am I glad you're here." He smiled as he embraced his brothers- at that point in time he didn't care who saw them- he needed the physical reassurance.

After so many years, Sena knew he probably acted like a child, but sometimes, when the mind is weak, the past really does cow even the strongest of men.

Sensing their boss' terror, both Mizumachi and Kakei embrace the young boss. Their eyes drifted towards Seijuurou as he cleans up somewhat and he mouths to them, 'it was _that_ again.'

Both freeze momentarily to the thought of their baby-boss becoming so dark once again. They sigh imperceptibly and squeeze their brother tight. Then Kakei presses his hand to Sena's abdomen and almost laughs at the hiss of pain.

"Ow! Owwwww, ow ow owwwww. Kakei! That hurts!" Sena hisses as he tries to pull away from his brothers probing hand.

"Now now, we need to stop the bleeding, besides the fact that your alarm is still blaring in my ears." He laughs.

Out of all the brothers, only Seijuurou and Kakei know how to activate and deactivate Sena's 'panic-button'; Jumonji also knows how to deactivate it, but even then he only gets it right three out of five times.

Kakei is another of Sena's brothers with a concealed 'panic-button' and receiver. His 'panic-button' is concealed under the skin of his right hip, it sits snugly beside the bone, and if he stretches just right it's visible to anyone who's looking. However, unless you know what it is, it is often mistaken for his hip-bone itself. One of the reasons he chose to have it concealed there was for that reason- he is skinny, unhealthily so in Sena's opinion- and if the button was concealed anywhere else it would stick out suspiciously with no way to excuse it. Sena wasn't happy about the assessment and often –right up until the operation to have it inserted into Kakei's body- begged him to have unconcealed devices. Of course Kakei denied Sena's request and had both his button and receiver implanted at the same time. Of course Kakei's receiver is also concealed, but it's hidden beneath a large tattoo on his shoulder blade. Somehow or another you cannot see the devise, and it has never been detected- but he explained to Sena how he can feel the signal against his bones and that makes him react immediately, as creepy as that sounds to Sena, he can't help but accept and appreciate his brothers creepy ideas.

Mizumachi on the other hand had unconcealed devices, but that was more for his health than anything. Sena remembered a time when Mizumachi was covered with surgical scars, never truly without them... he remembered raw skin and scabbed stitches, he remembered blood and bandages... shaking himself from the thought he catches sight of the thick black ring on his right ring finger- next to his famiglia ring- and caught sight of the flashing silver line that indicated Sena's panic alarm was still blaring. Mizumachi noticed the vacant look and smiled crookedly.

"It's still buzzin' boss. Mind turning yur' alarm off?" he laughed and he tapped the ring.

Sena sighed and hissed again when Kakei's fingers brushed the jagged wound and managed –somehow though Sena's hoodie and t-shirt, to turn the alarm off. Sighing to himself, Sena also caught sight of the panic button hidden within Mizumachi's thigh holster.

"Mizumachi... why are you only wearing boxers?... it's like two degrees outside."

Mizumachi looked down and noticed he was still in his boxers, and that his thigh holsters were visible from under the fairly thin, blue fabric. His thin, white t-shirt was doing nothing to hide the black leather cases strapped to his chest hiding his guns either.

"Hahaha, funny story. I was actually about to take a bath when this thing started going berserk." He smiles to himself tapping the ring on his right hand; he laughs and throws his arm over his equally tall brother and pokes his cheek as he continues. "Funnier still is the fact that this guy has just gotten out when his went off, he was pulling his pants on when we ran out the door.

Looking down Sena notices that Kakei's pants are falling off his thin hips, and the fact that his hair is dripping with water. "Um, Kakei-nii?" He asks innocently as he stares at what Kakei assumes is the floor.

"Why the hell aren't you two wearing shoes?" Seijuurou asks as he rounds the corner, blood splattering all but his face. He quickly explains to Sena that Jumonji, Shozo, and Kuroki are organizing the clean up or the Dragona lackies.

Suddenly Sena breaks into laughter; his face warms as he spies Kakei's undignified, embarrassed expression as he tries to explain- while attempting to keep his dignity- exactly why he _wasn't_ wearing shoes to the stoic teen beside him.

Laughing until he's leaning against the all for support Sena wipes tears from his deep, warm eyes.

"I'm hungry." He comments, stomach growling like a lion in the evening.

"Then I think we should to home for some food." Kakei agrees, his face still flushed in embarrassment.

"I want pancakes!" Mizumachi exclaims as he swings an arm over Sena's shoulders.

"Okay... fist one there gets to eat the first round." Sena runs off then, he's followed by three pairs of hurried footsteps and laughter fills the air.

Sometimes he's disturbed by the fact him and his brothers can brush off killing so easily, especially since all three of them are covered in the enemy's blood. At the same time he can't help but be happy they can, because when killing is an act as easy as brushing your teeth, you need to be able to get up and walk towards another day.


	5. Clash with the Past

Getting used to living in Japan again wasn't easy for Sena or any of the boys. They had been living in France, America, and Italy over the past five years, pond jumping at any given chance it often seemed. It was a drastic change when they were younger, and now that they were young adults the change was even more drastic, and in some ways, exceedingly uncomfortable.

In Italy they were well known, they often walked into their town to warm smiles and were showered with gifts. They were a mafia- yes that fact is true- but first and foremost Sena was changing Di Fortuna into something intrinsically more protective, first with their immediate families, then with the immediate town, and eventually to the foreign towns in which their other headquarters resided. Sena often thought of themselves as a vigilante group, but of course he knew they were not so righteous.

Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by it all, Sena decided to go for a walk around his old town. He needs to see the school, and he wants to scout his brothers' schools while he's at it.

Knowing full well his brothers won't let him out of his sight he asked Jumonji, Kuroki, and Shozo to follow him. His other brothers were sent on a trip to the various supply stores to stock up on both household and 'work-related' supplies they'd need for the next little while.

"So, Sena, where are we off to today?" Kuroki drummed in his heavily accented voice.

Sena, knowing all three of his companions were somewhat bored turned to them and smiled happily. "We're doing some scouting."

Now, it always amused Sena when he and his more foreign brothers went out anywhere. For one, none of them looked even remotely similar, and secondly, they seemed all too naturally to fall into their mafia atmosphere with Sena naturally taking up residence in the middle of the boys whom people could honestly say _were_ his brothers.

Sena had a distinctly Italian-Asian angle to his face, and his hair- for the most part- fit the norm for both countries. However he was lean, short and often times was mistaken for being a female due to the unfortunate combinations of the two countries.

Jumonji was wide, built like a brick wall with rebar bones. He was distinctly French, just the angles and planes of his body- regardless of the tenacious training he put in- simply wouldn't allow for anyone to mistake his nationality. Then there were his hair and eyes. Both light and bright they stood out in most countries to the east- especially the Asian country they currently resided- and one couldn't even comment on the accent which he so elegantly spoke with.

Then there was Kuroki, dark skinned- more so than the more common resident in most countries- dark eyed and wild haired. He often didn't care for his appearance, he wore thin clothing no matter the climate and often flaunted the naturally forming muscles to the world- that and the underage tattoos he was ever so proud of- no matter the protest from Sena or his other non-biological brothers. Then there too was his own accent, so foreign and strange to most countries, what with the Mexican-French-Japanese-Italian mix that was never truly elegant or pretty.

And of course there was Shozo. The German had the typical build and the somehow always aggressive posture, but his French upbringing made his speech somewhat elegant, if not constantly patronising, at the same time as allowing him to have that aloofness and pride that the German and French people seemed to uphold naturally- if not annoyingly. Though one might think the mixture was strange, Shozo pulled it off- and when he put his mind to it- used it quite advantageously for Sena and his famiglia. Luckily enough for Shozo, his accent wasn't blaringly obvious- especially when speaking Italian- though his Japanese was tough and brutal- something Sena put down to the German he used fluently- his appearance made it so the casual observer would simply place him as a rebellious youth prone to experimenting with hair care products.

Of course, the four of them together was a strange sight to behold- in any country, even those in the far west- so to walk down the quiet streets of the Japanese town was somewhat intimidating to the common populace and it didn't fail to bring a smile and laughter to Sena's lips as he overheard some of the incredibly wild –and somewhat accurate- gossip flying from housewives, labouring husbands, and children alike.

Instead of dwelling on the strangeness that was his famiglia, Sena simply laughed and walked more briskly in the direction of the destination. His brothers smiled- some more openly than others- as they followed closely in their younger brother's footsteps, simply happy he could smile and laugh so openly and happily.

They arrived at the school promptly. The front gates were closed tight, locked during the break from education- but that didn't deter the boys. Walking over to the intercom on the wall- one they knew was rarely used during school time- Jumonji waited for the cracking reply from the man they _knew_ would be waiting promptly for them.

"Hello?" the voice asked with distant interest.

"We are here with Meteora." Jumonji replies smoothly as Sena pulled up his hood.

He was wearing the same pull-over he arrived in Japan with; it was one he wore when dealing with the more civil side of the mafia- the side where more civilians were involved, the ones with whose ties were loose with the mafia. It bore his symbol on the hood and had thin body armour slipped between the two layers of fabric all over- it paid to be careful, even when dealing with civilians. When the hood was pushed back no-one was the wiser what it represented- all in all it was a perfectly –deceivingly- innocent garment, and was one of Sena's favourites for obvious reasons beside it being his favourite shades of red and blue.

Slowly, with a painfully deep creek, the gates opened to show a rather pathetic looking man in a plain grey suit. He dabbed his forehead as he saw the four boys and stepped aside to let them enter the protected walls of the school ground.

"I assume you are Meteora?" the man asked timidly, but Sena knew he was not as timid as he seemed- no one in the mafia could survive with such an attitude.

"You assume correctly." Sena replied, he switches to Italian just to ensure their conversation is not overheard by any of the local Japanese yakuza, they would be a pain to deal with and Tsuna felt not like chasing ignorant lambs.

"Good, then let us go to my office." The man in the old grey suit lead them into the school building before walking steadily to the ornate doors on the bottom floor.

Opening them and ushering his guests inside an audible click resounded in the room. Sena sat gracefully on the couch before the large red-stained desk, Jumonji stayed standing behind him, and Shozo and Kuroki took seats beside him just as gracefully. They looked to the man before them like big cats, dangerous and graceful even in such a mundane and lazy movement.

"No one will be able to disturb us now Meteora sir, but if you wish we will remain in your native tongue." The man replied smoothly.

"No, it is fine, I will believe you Sir." Changing back to Japanese, but not pulling his hood down he watches his brothers shift so as to protect Sena more comfortably. No one said vigilance had to be uncomfortable.

"So, what can I do for you Meteora?" he asked, the man was unassuming, and that was what Sena liked.

It always amazed Sena how many different walks the mafia contained, there were those whom flaunted their power and their status, tattooing their insignia in any possible place, both visible and not. There were those whom people would joke about being part of the mafia, the delinquents- the people who were different. Then there were those like the man before the Sena and his three brother-guardians, he was unassuming, weak and feeble, and looked as though he couldn't intimidate a child. Of course, that was his strength at the end of the day.

"We simply wish to scout sir," Sena began, his boss voice washed over the males in the room and shivers of pride found their ways along the spines of Sena's guardians. "I assume you've received our transfer notices, and I also assume you have dealt with them dutifully?" he questions, under his hood his eyebrow raises, and somehow the principle of the public school reads the expression despite the shadow cast by the hood.

"Of course, you are all accepted, no entrance exam, you will be classed as scholarship students, all in the same class with the same schedule." The principle shifts through his desk drawers and produces four piles of booklets, mostly outlining the school rules, the then produces four small student booklets with a glint in his eye. "These exempt you from all of the more tedious curriculum and expectancies of the other students; use them at your discretion." He smiles as Kuroki leans forward and takes both the paperwork and student passes.

"Thank you, sir." Sena smiles somewhat mischievously. "You are too kind to allow us such privileges."

"Now, I gather there was some more pressing matters you wish to discuss?" the principal continues after a knowing smirk is returned to Sena.

"Aye there is, but this time it is more important that my guardians take the lead in this."

"Oui, Météora." Jumonji explains as he leans forward, his accent suddenly thick. "We wish to scout the school, look over the blue-prints and plan for any... unforeseen circumstances..." he elaborates as he uncrosses his arms.

"I see, yes that is necessary... though there are students you must be somewhat... _aware_ of." Here the man pauses somewhat thoughtfully before standing and gesturing off to the side of the room. "For now let us move to a more... secure area."

The principal leads the young men into a back room, there, sprawled across the rather overcompensating conference table are the blueprints for the entire school, the grounds, and the various off-campus club houses. Moving towards them the guardians do their duties to learn them, use them, and work them to their advantage.

"You have good guardians Meteora sir, you should be very proud."

"Yes, they are the best." Sena smiles from under his hood, and he knows the principal senses rather than feels the love and trust emanating from the expression.

Suddenly, as if prompted by the compliment he could not have heard, Shozo looks to the principal questioningly. "What are all these gun silos? Surely even a mafia connected school does not need so many... there are even some machineguns stored inside... what are you up to?" he questions, his voice thickens with his German accent as he threatens the use of the hidden weapons on his body.

"Ahh, no those are not mine, in fact they are owned by one of our more... troublesome students... his name is Hiruma Youichi... in fact you probably know of his father... let's just say that in order to keep him placated he is given a few privileges. If it weren't for that troublesome father of his I would have had him... dealt with... far sooner than this. Those silos are some of the 'privileges' I give him, though he thinks he controls me." The man in the grey suit snorts with amusement.

The boys in the room laugh aloud at the pure idiocy of the boy. There were many similar stories of mafia men placating the civilians out of some sort of sadistic humour, though, even Sena was guilty of indulging in such acts.

"A Hiruma eh?" Kuroki hummed thoughtfully. "Well, he won't be too difficult to deal with, are we allowed to 'indulge' him also Meteora, sir?"

"If the principal allows it then I see no reason to do otherwise." Sena smiles innocently, the laughter from beside him informs the others that they are in fact being permitted to 'play' with a select few of the students- the Hiruma boy being one of them. Sena may be a more passive aggressor, but he is not about to deny his guardians the practice in manipulation they are so desperately in need of, especially if it is against such a worthy opponent as a Hiruma.

"Right, well Meteora sir we are finished now, Mr. Principal, are we able to take these spares?" Jumonji asks as he straightens. The grey suited man nods and leads the boys out of the school.

"Will I see you in the morning of the first day? Or would you prefer to be introduced at a later date?"

Sena thinks for a moment before turning to the shrugging figures of his guardians. "We'll arrive just after the beginning of school sir, I assume we report to you promptly?" the nod is all the confirmation Sena needs before moving the hood off his head as the gates close behind him. He almost laughs at the ignorance of those outside the school gates, of the principal even.

"So, is everything okay with the school boys?" he asks his guardians as they move towards town and eventually towards Oujo.

"Yes Sena, there are a few annoyances with the placement of the silos, but it figures the idiot has not idea about true tactics." Shozo sighs as he thinks over the awkwardness of the arrangement.

"Ahh, so would it be easier just to find our own way of concealing our equipment?" he asks with some concern. It isn't so much that he has a problem with self-sufficiency from his brothers. It is simply the hassle that they would have to deal with to keep hidden from the silo owner, while still formulating enough contingency plans for every feasible situation that may or may not occur.

"No, it should be fine, I am worried about our holsters though, the school uniforms aren't as forgiving as our work clothes are." Jumonji mentions as he rests his hand against his hip absentmindedly.

Sena's eyes flit to the spot, then to the others he knows conceal both weaponry and the panic tags. Jumonji is the only other guardian with internally concealed equipment of the panic devises nature. Though, it's not out of many of the guardians' choice that this is the case.

Jumonji conceals his panic button in the crook of his left arm. It is easy for him to activate it when he crosses his arms, and in many situations it's that arrogant type of posture that he assumes naturally. As for his receiver, it's concealed in the same place Sena's is, though not because of a scar, simply because he wished to be informed promptly of any danger to the family.

"What do you mean by that?" Sena questions as his eyes travel over the other two members of his company.

Shozo and Kuroki both wanted concealed devises, but their unique physique didn't allow it. Kuroki for one scarred far too easily, and it would be obvious to anyone that something was amiss if he had concealed devises, and Shozo was all muscle and left no room for man mad devises to be hidden.

Instead the brothers-that-weren't-brothers had their panic buttons on signet rings next to the family ring on their right hand. Their receivers were concealed within soldered helix earrings on their right ears, the only way to remove the earrings was surgically, and it meant that they were alerted by the semi-undetectable sound emitted by the earrings immediately that their family was in danger.

"Well the fact is that the trousers the school offers are far too tight to allow us to wear any of our thigh holsters, and the shirts would stick to the chest holders for our guns... it makes concealment awkward." Kuroki hums as his hands drift past the double holstered hand guns on either side of his chest.

"Not to mention the fact that carrying out bags everywhere would be way too tedious." Shozo complained.

"Hmm, well, we could always carry hand-to-hand combat equipment in the thigh holsters, they're always easy to conceal... Kuroki, you still fight with your darts right? You can hide those up your sleeves... I don't like the thought of leaving behind our partners..." Sena had long since stopped calling the steel weapons guns; they were a part of life and were aptly referred to as partners. "I think we'll just have to take chances with the chest holsters, the clips are easy enough to conceal, maybe we could have white holsters sent over?" he hummed, he contemplated contacting _Elettrica_ to see if the boy had any other ideas.

"It seems like so much effort Sena, you're sure we must attend school?"

"Yes, I am." Sena laughs at the brothers' comment.

He laughs aloud again, a ringing, innocent sound leaving his pale lips and picks up the pace, making the brothers jog to keep up. Today is meant to be fun, talk of guns and unwanted effort isn't fun. So quickly trying to take his brothers' minds off the near future he makes them race him to their other destinations, determined to make the moments of peace he gets at least a little enjoyable.

* * *

They were finally on their way home; they had all their groceries, and had gathered all the information from Deimon at least. Sena was somewhat disappointed in the lack of information they were able to scout from Oujo, and was a little upset they didn't have enough time to scout out the ever willing Kyoshin high- though, in hindsight he supposed there would be much time to do that later in the week.

Suddenly, as he was laughing with his three brothers, all of them happier knowing they knew the inside and outside of Deimon well, something caught Sena's eye and sent dread trickling into his gut. In all the years he's been mafia don, Sena had never felt so much regret for moving his family back to their home.

Standing at the corner, just saying goodbye to what Sena could only assume was a friend of hers was a girl with light brown- bordering on chestnut- hair that reached just below the tops of her shoulders.

She spun around, heading for home considering the time of evening it was, and her blue eyes connected with Sena's for a mere instant. He hoped with the whole of his heart that recognition would not flood the light-blue depths. His form started to stiffen at the prospect.

Sena's brothers had read the atmosphere and immediately put up thick walls that most did their best to avoid. Usually if someone saw the three intimidating Mafioso they avoided them. Of course, this girl was different than anyone that they- or Sena for that matter- had ever met.

"Sena? Is that you?" recognition started to spark as she slowed, stopping just before the shortest of the four boys. Absently she would wonder why on earth the small boy looked so comfortable in the middle of the delinquent boys, but her foremost thought was on the smaller boy's face.

"Mamori-neechan..." Sena mumbles somewhat awkwardly- it was not right in the least to call someone outside of the famiglia a brother or sister.

"When did you get back in town?" a smile made its way into her face as her old- extremely old- nickname tripped out of the boy's mouth- she somehow didn't notice the grimace that passed over the four young men's faces at the sound- and awkwardness held in the one simple word.  
Sena didn't know what to do. He didn't want to answer, but from the look of the bag in his arranged sister's hands it was obvious they would be seeing each other a lot once school began.

_Well fuck me sideways... this is going to be a long year._


	6. The boy with the golden legs

To say his meeting with his ex-sister was awkward was an understatement. Of course, as with most awkward situations there were a few catalysts for the reaction.

First was the fact he had been forced to call the chestnut haired girl before him his sister - that in itself posed some problems now that Sena was in the mafia.

Secondly was the fact the girl had no idea of the awkwardness surrounding the four boys.

Thirdly was the fact his once-sister had that unrightfully protective gleam in her eyes, and it made fury fill Sena's belly, he knew that his darker side was causing the hot anger to churn his stomach, but that didn't stop his face from falling into an expression that was somehow pitying and condescending at the same time. The girl was trying to insinuate- through her eyes- that Sena shouldn't be anywhere near these tall, brutish boys, and that was something Sena couldn't let slide.

Fourthly was the fact Sena had to act normal- or normal from the past- because he'd have to slowly worm this girl away from him. Unlike other nuisances he couldn't just strike a bullet through her skull or threaten her- she wasn't from the mafia and had little worthy black mail material- he had to simply show her that they had grown apart over the seven odd years they had been apart.

While this prospect sent a sigh wracking through Sena's entire body and left his brother looking somewhat bored with the effort- it was necessary in order to live a more peaceful life once again.

"I got back just a little while ago, Mamori-nee." He shortened her name, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. Eventually he would refuse to call her so familiarly.

"Oh, why didn't you contact us, Mom and Dad always asks if I've heard from you. How are your parents?" Mamori's smile faltered at the dark look the boys behind Sena were giving her. She saw the flickering emotions in the boy's eyes as they shielded themselves in sad look that made Mamori bristle. S _ince when was Sena so high-and-mighty? It's like he's looking down on me._

"They died years ago Mamori, part of the reason I moved was the fact my guardians died." He explains simply. He was something of ten when he was moved around the world. He remembered it, and it was a sad day, but he was a mafia boss, to dwell on the past was to plan your own funeral.

* * *

_It was just a few days after Sena's tenth birthday when the funeral was held. Both his parents had been gunned down on their vacation to some resort in Japan. It was a bloodied death; one Sena witnessed and was having issues suppressing. He remembered them talking, and then his father slumping into the table. He remembered his mother's screams and then her too slumping on the table. He remembered many men in black suits filing in, checking his parents, then sweeping him into their arms and running towards a chopper landed in the backyard of their cabin._

_The man holding him was kind, and familiar- later he would understand that the suited man was his father's right-hand and Sena's godfather. The man rubbed his back and let him cry as the full situation hit Sena, of course he knew what had happened, his father had already taught him to shoot and snipe. It wasn't as if he were unprepared for the prospect of his parents being assassinated- even his_ civilian _mother was a mafia daughter- the fact she kept a shot-gun in the closet didn't mean anything to Sena, but the blood all over his clothes and face did._

_His father had begun teaching Sena the more knowledge based aspects of the mafia, about the history, and the enemies. Sena- in only two months- had memorised every single famiglia in Italy; he had learned their crest, name, and their strengths and weaknesses. He was not even nine and a half when he had started memorising the Japanese and American mafia families, and by the time his parents were killed he was beginning to memories some of the other countries mafia famiglia, of course that tutelage was now going to be self-taught._

_It was a long ride in the awaiting chopper, and once the tears had stopped- acceptance settling in as his father had told him to do- Sena watched them fly to a big mansion he had seen only in pictures and on blue schematic paper._

_His father had always told Sena to accept death, darkness, and famiglia. Those were his only absolute laws. If he could accept those three things, then his life would be easier and less painful. So that is exactly what Sena did._

_His parents were dead._

_He accepted that._

_His mother was not the cozy black-haired woman from which Sena was physically born, or the woman from the baby album, no, his mother was now the darkness- as it always had somewhat been._

_He accepted that._

_His father was no longer the strict, warm man who held Sena close when his hand hurt after his first shot, no, his father was now death, the one whom would use his power to both save, and one day take Sena's life, the one he had fathered with darkness._

_He accepted that._

_His family was now his famiglia._

_He accepted that._

_Those were the only three absolutes._

* * *

"Sena!" Mamori threw herself at the short-but-tall boy and squeezed him tightly. He sighed imperceptibly at the emotional explosion but let the girl cry. It wasn't her fault she was kept out of the loop.

"Mamori, there is no need to be upset." His voice was a little colder than he intended, but it got the girl to stand up, he handed her a tissue he had in his pocket and allowed her sniffling to lesson some.

"So where have you been?"

 _Crap. She is a little too curious for her own good._ Sena's mind was twisting and thrumming, but he had his answer as soon as he felt the shift of his brothers behind him, he mutely heard the clink of a knife being fiddled in its holster and couldn't help but smile.

"I've been living here and there with some of my relatives. My father had a large family." He explains. "These are three of my brothers whom I've been living with."

"Brothers?" she asks incredulously. She eyes them suspiciously and the hot anger churns in Sena's stomach again.

"Yes." Sena's voice strains with the seething emotions only just in check. "My father had a large family, these are his nephews and my cousins, but I've been raised better than that, these are my brothers by _blood_ , Mamori."

Before she can answer, just as the shock filters onto her face at her brother's dark and dangerous voice- one that the subconscious and instinctual part of her brain screams for her to run as it hears it- the boy behind Sena, the one with the scar and blonde hair speaks with a deep, heavily accented voice.

"Sena, we have to be going, the others will worry where we've gone."

Nodding, he bows somewhat to the shell-shocked girl and leaves with a casual wave that leaves Mamori tingling. "Maybe I'll see you around in school, Mamori."

He hopes, with all his heart that the ignorant girl will that the hint that _no_ he doesn't want to see her around, and that _no,_ he hadnointention of being friends, and that if she _did_ try to find him; well he'll leave her imagination to think up the consequences.

He was fuming as they walked home, but not so much for reasons one would initially think. He had just put his family in an impossible situation that had two roads; both ending with bloodshed. He could easily kill Mamori and her family off and make it seem accidental, or he could use them to his advantage. But leaving them alive was leaving Sena's famiglia vulnerable, and he was not prepared to do so.

As they walked home, Sena realised someone was watching them, it was very good stalking, sleek and barely noticeable, but nowhere near the level of any dangerous famiglia. Using subtle signals that his brothers and he knew as well as they did their own heart beat, Sena explained the situation.

He received three replies and the act begun.

"Well Sena, we'll see you at home, we have some errands to run." Kuroki and Shozo explained as they walked away. They hands wove to the blonde and the brunette as they turned the corner, Sena smiled and waved back.

"Well, what are we going to do Meteora? We cannot let this _person_ find our home, at least not yet." Jumonji asked as he swapped effortlessly to Italian.

"Hmm, we're just going to have to lose him... I assume Kuroki has taken up his position?" Sena asked as they walked- calmly despite their situation- towards a crowded part of town.

"Yes, his rifle is primed..." he paused and subtle touched his ear. "...and the enemy is in sight, he hasn't been noticed and will eliminate the threat if the need is evident."

Sena smiled but denied that possibility, he received crackling static in his blue-tooth receiver – a hidden one- and was relieved to hear that Shozo was ready at the train platform.

Smirking slightly, and preparing for some sudden activity, Jumonji urges Sena onwards, and in an instant the boy is gone. Gone through the crowds, and leaving nothing but a breeze, and an afterimage.

Giving himself a moment to appreciate and awe over his brother, Jumonji breathes in the wind, the strange scent the boy leaves, and then takes off after him.

Weaving effortlessly, soaring past people for them to notice him on when he's long gone. He jumps and rolls and spins, as if he were dancing, as if he were the wind teasing the people. Maybe that's what he is; maybe he was raised by the wind when death and darkness were away.

Smiling, and letting laughter of pure delight burst from his lips, Sena muses to himself, watching the people's shock faces when their hair and clothing gets whipped around by some invisible pixie. He has many dance partners, most of the time he waltzes with death and tangos with the darkness, but sometimes, when he can truly let himself go, Sena jives with the wind, he rocks out with the light and laughs with the sun. Of course such times are not often, but when he can truly let himself go for a childish reason, when he can stretch his abilities and run full-throttle for no other reason than to run, well Sena knows not too many more satisfying feelings in the world.

"Meteora." He hears Shozo call.

Ripped from his laughter, fully aware once again of the danger, Sena spins around his brother and down the stairs onto the platform, completely aware of his two brothers filing in just after him, barely missing the closing doors.

He mutely hears a gasp and the words 'jump' die on the wind, but as he pants and smiles at his brothers he ignores them in favour of catching up with Kuroki for a full briefing on his findings, and to find out whom exactly it was that decided to try and stalk them.


	7. First day at deimon. First days apart.

Kuroki didn't know how to explain it. It was something he had never seen, and really didn't want to see again. The man hunting them was a Hiruma, while that wasn't surprising or threatening, it was somewhat disgusting, or at least the way _this_ Hiruma ogled his brother-boss was.

Now Kuroki had seen _many_ people ogle his brother, he was handsome, strong, rich, and kind, it wasn't uncommon for women- and even the occasional man- too seek his brother out wanting both to settle down and to have a fling with him. This Hiruma was a new one though.

Kuroki had set his rifle up as his brother had instructed, he had settled into a comfortable position and proceeded to watch the Hiruma while still keeping tabs on his brother-boss. What a sight it was to behold. He always loved watching his brother run, especially when he was able to completely let himself go and do as he wanted, he was fast, graceful and simply powerful. He was even more pleased to see the laughter bubble form his brothers' lips, it had been _a_ long time since the brunette had seen Sena laugh so freely and unrestrained, and he wished it happened more often.

This is where Kuroki grew worried; the Hiruma literally drooled when his brother started running. He dropped the stick of gum he was in the process of eating; his hands stopped dead on the laptop he was typing on, and his eyes widened. The man who evoked fear in even low level yakuza was the sight of shock and weakness.

Kuroki didn't like it at all.

He kept his rifle trained on the Hiruma right up until his brother was on the train and it was leaving the station. It surprised him when the Hiruma actually stood- his laptop clattering to the floor- and yelled at his brother to _jump_ for the _train_.

Three things left Kuroki's heart in his throat.

First was the fact the laptop was on the floor, Hirumas never allowed such a thing to happen.

Second was the fact he was trying to _help_ his brother- something comical when one realised his brother was trying to _escape_ the Hiruma.

Third was the fact he _still_ hadn't picked the laptop off the **floor**.

Then the smirk came, that predictable Cheshire grin that sent nerves tingling dangerously through Kuroki's entire body, it mean trouble, and he'd have to warn Sena quickly.

So Kuroki did just that. In an instant the gun was packed away- hidden innocently in a backpack slung over his shoulder. He had his phone to his ear running through the streets searching for one of the underground entrances of their home.

" _What is it Kuroki?"_

"We have a problem Protezione." Kuroki breathed out as he slid into the underground tunnel system. "There's something off with that Hiruma."

" _I see. Meteora thought as much. Hurry home and we'll see what we can do."_

"Will do. See you soon."

The phone clicked off and Kuroki sped up, he did not like this Hiruma at all, and he was more than prepared to feed lead into the man's skull if this _dislike_ continued beyond only a short while.

The morning was quiet. Silence echoed and tore the air, trying to drown the men sitting on the dining room. Unlike usual, it wasn't a comfortable silence. No, it was a painful one.

Everyone was thinking the same thing, none of them wanted to leave the house, to go to school, to be separated. No one really wanted to speak up, while at the same time that's all they wanted to do.

"Sena, are you sure?" Testuma asked with a strained voice. While he usually hesitated to question Sena's or Kid's directions for him, he did not like this new order.

Sena was shocked to say the least when his normally silent brother questioned him, and right before they were going to leave too. He smiled sadly, not really wanting to tell his brothers that he was scared, but when he looked at them he couldn't help but steel his resolve.

They all stood, semi-protectively in a semi-circle around Sena, they all wore their respective school uniforms, each had a schoolbag and a blazer and each of them looked handsome. Sena was sometimes blown away by how easily his brothers looked like adults, he too could make himself look almost ten-years older than he was in the right suit, but the men standing before him didn't really look like they should be in high-school. Sena put that down to the fact that they were used to wearing formal clothing around actual adults and had to portray that same maturity and sense, they had to look the part of mafia members, so now that they were having to wear school uniforms, well, even Sena was finding it difficult to not look threatening and poised.

"Yes, I'm sure." He nodded solemnly and he couldn't help but be saddened by the hope lingering in his brothers' eyes that he was going to change his mind. "Now, you need to look for a club, don't join any yet, we need to be similar in what clubs we join, try and keep a low-profile, and please, don't kill everyone that annoys you, I've let you take your weapons for self-defence- we don't need the cleanup bill to escalate like last time."

With that his brothers nodded, Testuma and Kid were the first out the door, leaving through the house to the left of their current one. They each slung their bags over their shoulders and headed for the train, they didn't have far to travel, but to be on time they'd have to leave about fifteen minutes earlier than any of their brothers.

Mizumachi and Kakei were the next to leave, they too had bags, but Kakei carried his smartly by his side. Mizumachi, as usual, had already tried to strip down to his vest, but Sena was adamant that his school shirt had to stay on at all times. _'The vest isn't enough to hide the guns Mizumachi-nii.'_ Sena knew it was probably for naught, but at least the fake boxers Mizumachi wore would hide his 'second-skin' thermals and the thigh holsters he refused to leave the house without.

When they had everything Kakei knocked his knuckles with Sena's and gave the remaining four brothers a meaningful glare. He and Mizumachi were much further away than the others; they had to catch a bus _and_ a train to get to and from school- if Sena was in danger at school they'd be some of the last to arrive on the scene.

"See you later Mizumachi-nii, Kakei-nii."

"Have a good day Sena." They replied, eye contact was all the four remaining brothers needed as greetings, none of them very verbal in such intimate matters.

Then it was Sena's turn to leave, Seijuurou had decided that walking to and from school with Sena and the Huh-siblings was the smartest idea, it was easy for Sena to blend in with Seijuurou and it wasn't strange for them to be friends.

They walked silently, a little more comfortable in the silence that enveloped them. While all Sena's famiglia trusted and respected him with their lives, Seijuurou, Jumonji, Kuroki, and Shozo were the ones whom rarely- if ever- questioned a decision. They often asked him questions, but never second-guessed a decision made by him once he had made it. It wasn't that they were blindly loyal, and if Sena was truly wrong they would speak up, but they did so more privately than the other brothers were inclined to.

They reached the fork in the road by the bridge over the river and Seijuurou looked into Sena's eyes with that stoic expression that told Sena everything he needed to know. Seijuurou was a stoic monster when it came to mafia, he did his work diligently, never straying from his duty, he killed, injured, and tortured if Sena deemed it necessary, and he protected the family to the best of his ability. He was also aggressively protective of Sena and has been since their first meeting. Thinking about it, Sena realised that when he walked down the river towards Deimon, it was going to be the first time since their meeting when they were five that they were going to be separated for more than an evening. That thought made Sena's face drop a little. When a large, warm hand descended on his hair he looked again and smiled. Seijuurou could read him like an open book.

"Be careful Sena. I'll see you this evening. You wouldn't mind if I looked for recruitments would you?"

Sena shook his head. "Of course you can look for recruits, though Oujou isn't known for housing mafia children." Sena explained.

When the pleasantries were over, and Sena ensured that Seijuurou had all his self-defence weapons, his pass, and something to prove his position in Di Fortuna- specifically the ring that never left his right middle finger- Sena was happy to wave and walk towards Deimon high school.

Jumonji took up position on Sena's right, being so used to taking up that position in meetings when the others were away. Kuroki took the left and Shozo took the back, it was a comfortable formation, relaxed and didn't in anyway give a suspicious air.

As they entered the school grounds they made their way towards the principal's office, it was just after the school bell had sounded so the grounds were empty, some of the school counsel- or Sena assumed that's who they were- were setting up the recruitment stalls for the various school clubs, recruitment started right after homeroom.

Sena would usually wear his Di Fortuna jacket, but he needed to be inconspicuous, he also wasn't worried about the principal giving away his identity to their enemies, he- and most of the rest of the school for that matter- had been made to take the Omerta- the mafia code of silence- and so Sena had nothing to fear from the staff within the school's walls.

They arrived at the principal's office and the secretary- a spindly, black-haired woman with a soft voice and warm eyes- signed them in and let them pass, obviously aware of the status of these intimidating, handsome young men.

As they enter pleasantries were exchanged, a few more warnings given- with _love_ from Jumonji to the principal- until they were finally carted off to their new classroom. There was an awkward silence as they walked in, no-one quite sure what _four_ new transfer students were doing in _Japan_ of all places if they came from somewhere as 'foreign' as Italy. Still, they were introduced, denied any questions asked simply stating it _'isn't any fun if we told you everything'_ \- which brought out ear-piercing squeals from the female population- and were seated at the back of the room.

Sena took the seat closest to the window- and despite how counterintuitive that was he didn't care- Jumonji sat to his right, Shozo in front of him, and Kuroki took the seat in front of Sena and to the left of Shozo.

When register has been called and the class calmed down, the homeroom teacher began to discuss the day. It was mostly just recruitment, lessons were canceled, and the entire school was open to exploration by the first years and new students. The student council would be stationed around the school in case of questions and they were free to roam as they pleased as long as they didn't leave school premises.

"Oh, you must have decided at least one club to join by the end of the week."

Home room finished quickly and the entire population was sent outside to be harassed by the various school clubs to which they would be recruited with very little mercy. Sena had already briefed his brothers on which types of activities they'd look into, so when homeroom was dismissed they immediately made their way to the sports section of the mass of stalls and shouting students.

It was as they expected, loud, brash voices calling in any manner and tone. Some people physically dragged prospective students to the stall, some bribed, others even snuck flyers into bags and hands as they passed.

One stall caught their attention, and made all four 'bothers' narrow their eyes with suspicion. There was one stall far bigger than any other, about four times the size if Kuroki was going to make a broad estimate, there was one person sitting there, he was rather large- but Shozo assumed his bulk was muscle- wearing American football protection. This sparked Jumonji's interest, he had gotten into American football during the stay in the foreign country the last time they were there, the fact the Japanese seemed to be interested certainly made Jumonji feel a little more at home.

What caught Kuroki and Shozo's eyes were the guns sitting innocently in the background. There were machineguns sitting on the table with a wide array of clips sitting somewhat orderly on the table amongst an American football and strategic papers, there were hand guns and even an antique shotgun, all of which sent Kuroki's mouth watering, he certainly could use some new weapons.

All of a sudden, with the wind alerting them as much as the eerie sound, a blond-haired student ran at them with the full intention of –seemingly- attacking Sena. Immediately the guards were up and the brothers surrounded their –so far calm- leader with an ease and strength that silenced everyone.

"Keshesheshesheshe. It seems there are some interesting students this year eh fucking-fatty?" his voice was vile, sharp and seemingly intelligent. Sena's eyes narrowed somewhat. The boy had that familiar aura, but his appearance was most definitely unnaturally changed.

He was a Hiruma- more to the point -he that _the_ Hiruma who tried to track Sena not even a week ago. That alone sent shivers of anticipation up and down his spine. He knew the boy had no mafia ties bar his seemingly absent father, so it was safe for the young brunette to assume that he was in no _mortal_ danger from the young blonde. That didn't mean to say he was going to let his guard down though.

"You will back away." Jumonji spoke softly, as not to alert the still staring population that his accent was _not_ Italian – they had made the story that they were siblings adopted by their parents who were of Japanese decent and decided the boys needed a taste of their adoptive parents' culture- with this in mind it was vital that no one caught on that while Jumonji and Kuroki's accents were _not_ Italian, Kuroki could get away with having the faintest of accents, and Sena's accent was strongly Italian.

"Keshesheshe, and why might I ask fucking-scar-face, would I do that?" the Hiruma asked, he had an AK slung over his shoulder and was watching the group with barely hidden interest, he was curious as to why teenagers – especially first year high school students- looked so war beaten.

"Because you're in for a world of pain if you don't." Kuroki, silent until then spoke, he did not trust that yearning, I-get-everything-that-I-want-when-I-want-it look in the Hiruma's eyes.

"How interesting." Hiruma's eyes narrowed, he didn't like that these boys weren't intimidated, he could even see the sly- was that _mocking_? - look in even the small brunette's eyes; now that _was_ intriguing.

Smiling his crooked smile, and in an instantaneous movement that no-one but the four before him could follow- Hiruma has a flyer in his hand and was passing it to the blonde-haired freshman before him with an impassive, calculating smirk.

"Consider it. With your... _talents_... I could sure use you on the team." With a flick of his hand and some rather vulgar insults sent towards the 'fucking-fat-ass' in the stall they were gone.

No one moved for a moment, but then everything dissolved into loud noises, far less tense now that the American football team had made their exit. If anyone was tempted to approach the four –handsome- Italian fashion models – or at least the girls fantasised they were- then the intention disappeared very quickly, if Hiruma had claimed them then there was no chance in hell that anyone else was even going to try.

"American football huh?"

"What do you think Sena?" Jumonji asked as they walked down the row of stalls.

"Well, I think it could be very interesting." A smirk made its way onto his face and the three other boys could only smirk in return, if something so simple could elicit such a calculating smirk on their little boss' face then they were certainly guaranteed an interesting stay in Japan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you go. It isn't how I really wanted it, but I think it's the best it's going to be, so please enjoy.  
> You might be confused as to who is in the house at the moment, since people will begin to leave and comeback rather sporadically. Even as I was writing this I got so confused -_-'.  
> So from now on if there is any significant shift in people living in Sena's house(s) then I will add a little note for you.  
> Currently in the house:  
> Sena
> 
> Seijuurou
> 
> Jumonji
> 
> Kuroki
> 
> Shozo
> 
> Kid
> 
> Testuma
> 
> Kakei
> 
> Mizumachi
> 
> So thank you for reading, and I hope it wasn't a disappointment.  
> Grazie. Merci. Thank you.  
> Please review. *Even one word makes me very happy*
> 
> ~~Bleach-ed-Na-tsu :3


	8. First day at Oujou. First days apart

Seijuurou turned when he was sure his brother wouldn't look back. He watched with shoulders tense and eyes narrowed, as his brother walked away from him towards some unknown school with only three others to keep him safe. The pain in Seijuurou's chest wasn't a light one.

Is had been more years than he'd care to admit since the last time he was away from Sena, and Seijuurou couldn't even remember a time _before_ he met Sena, it was as if nothing mattered anymore, all he wanted was to be with Sena; he simply wanted to be assured that he'd be able to protect Sena. At the end of the day that was all Seijuurou needed to be happy.

Sighing deeply, Seijuurou made his way towards Oujou, for the second time in his life he was going to attend school, he was going to be a regular teenager again, but really it didn't seem like such a good trade-off somehow.

* * *

_Seijuurou realised he was somehow a little different to other children when he was about four; he realised his family was different from other children's' families at least._

_The first clue was that his 'friends' were always talking about reading and colouring or playing games like catch with their parents. Seijuurou never did any of those things._

_The second clue was his size, his friends always commented on his skinny and strong Seijuurou was, especially when he helped then get their toys by lifting them so they could reach the top shelf. He noticed during these times how little baby-fat he had on his body, but since his father said baby-fat was bad and his mother never commented, Seijuurou simply brushed the comment off._

_The third clue was how his friends were never covered in black and blue bruised. They never talked about their parents (well it was only his father) hitting them when they did wrong. So Seijuurou guessed he must just be a_ really _bad kid since none of the other parents seemed to discipline with fists and belts._

_Of course, since Seijuurou was only four at the time, and since he was so used to going for runs with his father, and doing what his father called 'training', he never really commented on the differences._

_Seijuurou's father used to be a top-class boxer; he won more fights than he lost, and caused more injuries than he sustained. Of course, after one crippling loss in an illegal fight he never won a fight again-legal or otherwise- and once Seijuurou was born, well his father simply found the perfect way to a continued victory. So he began training his son._

_Training was good at first, bonding and laughter, but these innocent things lead to wild fists and anger; if his son did wrong well he got a punch, and if he couldn't dodge that well then there was need for more training. When Seijuurou started arriving back from training with his father with bruises, and bloodies noses his mother was frantic. Her fears lead to confronting her husband, and that lead to more wild fists and discipline._

_Seijuurou didn't really understand at the time, he was still very young, but when his mother hugged him one night, kissed him and treated his newest wounds, he couldn't help but question why it was his mother had a bag full of clothes and tears streaming his face._

_Seijuurou was only two-and-a-half when his mother left him and his father decided he wasn't training enough._

_So Seijuurou lived his life like that. His father was careful, while he was angry, terrible enraged by his son's lack of ability in the sport, he wasn't going to leave injuries that left him unable to fight. Everyone knew what Seijuurou's father was like, he was striving for victory even as he could no longer fight, other parents turned a blind eye to the boy's injuries and the unhealthy lack of fat on his body as the four, five, and six year old Seijuurou grew up._

_That's when Seijuurou met Sena._

_It was a light day, his father was still practically paralytic after a night of drinking and betting at the local fight ring- and just how wrong did that sound to even the six year old- and so Seijuurou took it upon himself to go for his morning run._

_Jogging had always calmed him, let him forget about everything, about the bruised and muscle pain, and let him remember a time when he was a very young baby and was blissfully unaware of_ everything _around him. When Seijuurou was jogging that morning he heard laughter of the most malicious kind, the scuffle of feet on gravel, and the tell-tale signs of something fleshy being impacted. Of course, Seijuurou knew that this was a child playground and that any sound of fighting was usually a very bag thing, so Seijuurou investigated._

_What he saw sent anger coursing through his veins. And so he acted._

_It wasn't long before the boys were gone, running away tail between their legs, but Seijuurou was more concerned with the tear-less boy still staring at him with those curious brown eyes that seemed so gentle and strong._

_Sena won him over easily, simply speaking a few words and accepting Seijuurou for all he was. It was then, during the year that they spent together, that Seijuurou learned to be a child, and learnt of the unspeakable crime his father was committing._

_During the two years Sena and Seijuurou were together- just the two of them- Seijuurou started to learn of the crime_ Sena's _father was committing. When Sena would come to the park covered in bruised, or would suddenly have new strains and injuries, well Seijuurou was about ready to beat the man senseless._

" _Don't do it Seijuurou, my father is trying to help me."_

_Sena always told Seijuurou to use his strength to protect the ones he cared for, but Sena was preventing him from doing so. At the age of eight Seijuurou was coming into his own, he was still training with his father, but was doing so with the intention of getting stronger for Sena's sake. His father was happy with the resolve, but angered when Seijuurou refused to fight in the illegal rings where his father made most of his money._

_Eventually more and more people joined the family, and when finally Sena was whisked away to Italy because his parents had been killed in the most spectacular of ways, well Seijuurou's (and at the time Mizumachi and Kakei's) decisions had been made for him. He left his father, his country, and the abusive past without so much as a 'goodbye' to his friends._

_As long as Seijuurou was with Sena, no matter what country, and even after learning what exactly it was that made Sena's family such a target, Seijuurou was contended to protect the boy who had opened his eyes and was still opening them and accepting of him._

_The hardest year for the little family was when Sena turned eleven, that year spilt blood and tears and screams and hysteria, it was one of the only times Seijuurou really questioned what he was doing being part of such a dark, criminal organisations. When Sena turned eleven it was the year that-_

* * *

"-hin."

His memorise were halted- rather abruptly- by a voice he dimly recognised from his childhood. Turning, still wary of the unknown person, Seijuurou almost ran into a very tall, slim man with tousled golden hair.

"Saku-raba?" he questioned, his face remained stoic, but his eyebrow rose with questioning, not quite sure if the tall boy was really the weak, scrawny, timid boy from his memories.

"I was right!" the blonde's face lit up with a wide smile upon his lips. "Takami, I was right, it's Shin."

Suddenly an equally tall boy appeared beside the blonde. His hair was a cropped brown, neatly groomed it reached the nape of his neck, but no longer, upon his nose was a pair of glasses that glinted in the morning sun as he apprised the solid boy his friend was claiming to be their long since moved friend.

"Takami-sempai." Seijuurou greeted. He knew he was bound to meet up with his old friends, but he never imagined it would be so soon after arriving back in Japan.

The teens –Takami and Sakuraba- talk excitedly about seeing Seijuurou again, Sakuraba moans on about how he suddenly up and disappeared when they were ten and Seijuurou makes an excuse about an exchange programme.

Takami seems fairly suspicious of the story, but he leaves it alone nonetheless, he knows the stoic teen was not one to make excuses, and no matter the six or seven years apart he knows that kind of behaviour was intrinsically in Seijuurou's nature.

"So I assume by the uniform you're wearing that you're going to Oujou right?" Sakuraba asks as he placed his hands in his pockets.

Seijuurou nodded, and with that the three teens walked around the school. Takami had to leace Seijuurou and Sakuraba for his own classes soon after they entered the shcool gates but he promised to meet up with them for lunch and possibly after school. Seijuurou nodded and waved with Sakuraba as they walked towards their own classroom. One that for the next year they would share.

* * *

"Hey Seijuurou, would you like to come watch our practice. We can show you around the rest of the school later."

Turning his vision towards Sakuraba as he packed his school equipment away he glanced at his watch. Sena wasn't due back from school for another hour or so, which meant he had time to scout a little. Seeing as his boss had told Seijuurou and the others to find a club, it couldn't hurt for him to take the time to get to know the game that had turned the wimp of a boy he remembered into something lithe and while not roped in muscle, still strong.

"Sure, I have a little bit of time; I might not be able to stay for the whole thing though."

A smile burst onto the blonde's head as he grabbed his rather ridged friend's hand and pulled him towards the senior's classroom. Once they had picked up the captain they made their way towards the field.

Seijuurou was curious when he arrived, he was dropped at the sidelines with the old man –who was introduced as coach Shogun- and busied himself with examining the grounds.

The field was rather large, there were Y-shaped posts at each end of the field, and the field was marked at a very regular interval with white lines. The grass was cut short, and in the center of the pitch was the school's logo.

"Excuse me, sir?" Seijuurou asked sternly.

The man eyed the boy up somewhat apprehensively. Even if the boy was a first year, and had apparently attended Oujou before, Shogun was intimidated. The boy simply exuded a strength that sent even the other boys into a fury of flailing limps, or simply made them pass out. He would admit openly the boy had potential, he was strong, lithe, but also mouldable, whoever trained the boy in his early teens knew what they were doing, they didn't train him in one category, they made him the perfect slate for anything, and that was very appealing to the aging coach.

"Yes son?"

"Which sport is this?"

"Did those idiots not even tell you that?" when he received a nod he continued, "Idiots will get a word with me later... this son, is American football."

Before he could continue the team exited the changing/training room with a murmur of excitement and it was easy to see they all trusted and enjoyed each other, they were smiling, but serious as soon as Shogun stepped forward.

Taking his cue, Seijuurou walked to the bench on the sidelines, took up a rather relaxed, intimidating stance and watched.

Sena always told him he was very adept at listening and watching, he could easily watch and then later mimic something, and had a near-perfect memory too. That is one reason he attended every meeting and mission Sena was present at- not just because he could remember minor details- because he could remember every single face in a room and catalogue them, should that face ever appear again, well Seijuurou had _never_ once been wrong when faced with a lineup searching for a face he had seen once in passing.

Gear crunched together with a satisfying impact that Seijuurou swore he could feel from even the sidelines. His muscles tensed as the runner sprinted and even when he noticed that the ball was not in the running back's, but still in Takami's hands Seijuurou followed the runner, thinking it prey before a superior predator.

He had seen the training rooms, and he has seen the determination in the eyes of the men on the field. As he watched the boys- maybe even men- run and crunch and chase and throw and catch, Seijuurou couldn't move his eyes and a plan started forming quickly.

It was thrilling, rough, and full of adrenaline and testosterone. It was perfect.


	9. First day at Seibu. First days apart

Once the door shut behind them Tetsuma knew his friend was in for a rough day. It wasn't very well known that Kid was actually a very sensitive person. He was prone to depression and was easily hurt by what people said to him, or about his family. He was embarrassed easily and often made a fool of himself if he wasn't careful.

So when kid played off a very uninspiring atmosphere, when he seemed closed off and pessimistic, it was simply a shield, a wall built to protect himself from the horrors of the world around him. Of course, Tetsuma knew better than anyone else. Well maybe not better than Sena of course.

He was amazed and grateful for the young brunette's interference in his depressed friend's life, for it was all the brighter now that they had joined the family. Of course, Tetsuma mused, joining the family also caused its fair share of depression and embarrassment.

The walk to the train station was quiet, Kid simply lost beneath his cowboy hat, and Tetsuma not one to start a conversation, but it was that kind of amiable silence that usually accompanied very close friends and was a testament to going through some very difficult times and trusting each other fully. So, in fact, it was perfect for both Tetsuma and Kid in the end.

They reached the train quickly, and even more quickly arrived at the school. They were escorted to the principal's office as soon as their passes were examined, and that's where they currently were, sitting before a rather... ambiguous character in a very western room. So western, in fact, that there were mounted skulls behind the ten-gallon-hat upon the rugged man's head.

"SO, what brings the almighty Di Fortuna to this humble little town?" the man asks, of course, he is the only other principal aware of the Mafia, the others had very little, if anything, to do with the mafia, or even the yakuza for that matter.

Sena had done that for a reason, giving only Tetsuma, Kid, Riku, and himself mafia related principals; while he had all the faith in Seijuurou and Kakei and Mizumachi, Sena knew that they were brash, and rather incapable of dealing with the type of psychological monsters that anyone involved with the mafia could be, especially when they had more than ten years of experience on any of Sena's guardians.

_I, of course, am different_

Kid took pride in being one of the main members of Di Fortuna's intelligence and interrogation team. While he was no enforcer- being one of the physically weakest of the group- he was one hell of an interrogator and deliberator. He played mind games, and played them well- and as annoying as it was that Sena could get one over him- Kid had the honour of taking the crown for being the best player in their group with the mind, and so, it could only be for that reason that Sena had given _him_ and Tetsuma the only other principal who would play mind games with his students, if nothing else than to try and get one over on the infamous Di Fortuna famiglia of Italy.

"Well sir, I am not obligated to tell you, given you did not take the Omerta. What I will tell you is we have our reasons, and that I won't hesitate to kill you or any student should they give me or Di Fortuna any kind of trouble or threat." While Kid's voice was slow, even and lacking any kind of emotion, his eyes were steeled and hard, a promise of pain and humiliation present, and that alone was enough to silence the principal and send them on their way.

School was as usual a boring, predictable beast that tried to stifle students into submission by society's standards, and Testuma and Kid were thrust into it like new meat for the beast. Of course they were far too tough a meal for such menial men within their class. When they were introduced to their new homeroom members they were stoic, cynical and somewhat cryptic. By the end of the questioning session by more than a few overcurious girls Tetsuma and Kid were left well alone.

"Kid." Tetsuma asked, his voice low, and muffled by his heavily British accent. "We need to look for some kind of club, Meteora ordered us to."

A mumbled acceptance of this was all that was heard, that is until the swooshing sound of a slow moving projectile headed their way. Now, being mafia men you'd think this kind of sound would send their adrenaline rushing, but the sound was far too slow, nowhere near enough to even injure them. No, the sound was so familiar that Kid automatically threw his hand into the air and allowed that oval air-filled leather to slide into his fingers and rest there from its spin.

Both the mafia men looked incredulously at the worn orange-brown ball and then their eyes met. Both smiled, true smiles, it had been _years_ since either of them had been in America, and years since they had seen the ball that was currently within Kid's long, capable hands.

* * *

_They had been fourteen, Kid was being forced by his legendary father to learn a sport he had no interest in. His father was in the mafia, he had been in a gang since he was young, and had learned his skill of shooting through experience, he was a lot cleaner at the time than when he was younger, but at the same time he was not without a little dirty work, after all guns cost money, bullets cost money, targets cost money._

_By default Kid was also in the mafia, nowhere near as involved as his father was at his age, but he had his fair share of rigorous hands-on training and hits, and by the time he was ten he had already killed more than one person. His father not only wanted him to be the greatest shooter in the 'pure world' but also in the 'mafia world' and so Kid grew up with the biggest complex a child could have, he eventually grew so_ tired _of it, and that is when Tetsuma saved him with the childish game of throwing a ball back and forth behind their mansion on the hill._

_His father had a guard, and by default yet again Kid was expected to have one too, luckily for him his guard was a child his own age, but it meant that the child was also suppressed beyond reason, taught into a shielded box that left little room for emotion and fun, because they were a mafia family, and also a family wanted as celebrities, it was a hard life for both of them, especially living two lives like they did._

_It was at a time such as this, where their mafia lives haunted them, that Tetsuma and Kid met Sena and his brothers. At the time there were more than his permanent guards, there had been two more that stayed in the shadows, not wanting or needing to be seen. Kid and Tetsuma were trapped down an alley by a gang of about ten men who were after Kid because of the hit he had performed less than a week earlier. Now, usually Kid had his gun on him, while no one questioned this because of the medals in his room, it wasn't the practice pistol they thought it was. That day he had not brought it, and Tetsuma had only two clips for his own revolver. They – Kid- had been in a disagreement with his father and had stormed out only to be caught unawares by the thugs currently surrounding them._

_Kid had sighed, and spoke of karma and optimism when suddenly an angel descended from the sky._

_Now neither Kid nor Tetsuma believed in god or higher powers, their belief in angels came only from a belief that someone might save them, that there could always be miracles, their belief in angels came from a childish belief in beautiful women in long white dresses with wings that would wash away all pain and grief._

_This angel was much different from their childish dreams._

_This angel was a boy. This was the first difference._

_This angel had no wings. That was the second difference._

_This angel was covered in black cloth and blood accessories. This was the final difference._

_As the boy descended, taking out at least half of the gathered men with movements of grace and balance, his deep, fathomless eyes met Kid's own and a smile lifted one corner of his lips._

_More boys descended, equally black and coated in blood, each with somber expressions that mutely reminded Kid of Tetsuma once a strict order had been given him._

_Soon enough, the men were either unconscious and tied up- Tetsuma was sure they were going to be interrogated brutally- or they were dead. Kid had the most unguarded expression upon his face as Tetsuma had ever seen and was just staring at the short, effeminate boy whom was practically dripping with kindness despite a face splattered with blood._

" _It's a pleasure to finally meet the infamous Kid, I am Sena Kobayakawa, current leader of Di Fortuna and I have a proposition."_

_Of course, as this angel- errr Sena- spoke his guards surrounded him, and Tetsuma was in front of Kid in an instant, gun pointed and eyes set. Sena smiled, and more guns were pointed; only they were pointed at Kid and not Sena._

" _I wish you to join my famiglia." Sena had proposed, and to this day Kid cannot figure out what it was that made him accept without question, it could have been that smile, or it could have been that the boy was simply an angel; hell, Kid didn't even know what Di Fortuna was, it wasn't a typical American influencing famiglia_

 _That was all it took and soon enough Kid was moved out, Tetsuma in hot pursuit, and he could not find himself regretting it, because Sena_ had _turned out to be the angel from his childish beliefs, he was simply a real life one that Kid could believe in instead of the fictional and slightly irrational belief of women in white dresses with wings that could wash away every pain and sin he had ever felt and committed._

* * *

"WooHoo, sorry my boys, that was a rogue ball by one of my useless freshman." A rather rowdy man explained a she rounded the corner towards the lazing Di Fortuna members.

Kid stood a snicker on his face and his hat pulled over his eyes to shield the calculating glaze that coated his irises. He never usually found something so interesting.

"No harm no foul sir, but, I wonder," he began with a droning voice only just containing his interest. "What would you think of two old fashioned cowboys joining your little corral?"

Immediately Tetsuma perked up and snorted his agreement, and as soon as Kid had finished his drone the coach, a plump man who adorned a cowboy hat, recognised the accent from his own hometown.

"You boys wouldn't happen to be from the good old west would you?"  
Another snicker and snort of agreement sent Kid trailing after the coach with looping strides and a plan to convince his brother than American football was the sport for them to participate in.

"Well now sir, I do believe we are."


	10. First day at Kyoshin. First days apart

Kakei did not like this. He didn't like it one bit.

Mizumachi was excited. So excited he was suspicious.

Because- once again- they had been played by their little boss.

"Ne Kakei."

When said blue-black haired teen nodded, obviously not really in the talking mood, Mizumachi continued. "Why do you think Sena is making us go to school? And why'd he give us such a far away one?" now, to the outsider, Mizumachi would be moping and groaning looking all together like an overgrown child. But Kakei knew- having spent years with him- that the tall blond was seriously trying to figure it out.

Mizumachi looked like a fool to many, unable to keep his clothes on, an acute ADHD sufferer, but Kakei and Sena's family knew better. Mizumachi was smart, but he was a mind game player, he often acted out to trick people into discrimination or a false sense of security. He and Kakei made up the central core of Sena's defense force, he was an intimidating distraction maker, and it worked; after all Sena wasn't dead yet.

"I think," Kakei began slowly, he watches the other students walking in front of them as he strides along the sidewalks "Sena wants to give us some normalcy. We have been in the mafia since we were born, but Sena's famiglia has had their childhood taken from them, and I think this is his way of trying to make up for that." Kakei's voice is soothing and calm, he is neither angry, nor sure, but there is a hint of appreciation in his voice.

"It's not like we blame him, in the end all of us choose to join his famiglia... I mean how could we leave him after we saw what they did to him?"

"Ah, I know."

* * *

_It was a horrible day, the worst day anyone had ever seen, and none of them would ever forget it, not for as long as they lived. It was just a month before Sena turned thirteen, and it was a truly beautiful day, sunny, warm, sun shining, and it was a complete contradiction to what was happening in the inner sanctum of Di Fortuna's headquarters._

_They had all moved from Japan after Sena's parents were killed, and since then had moved to Italy from France, their families weren't told, the children were either confirmed dead, or reported missing, though, when you think about the families they had come from there wasn't even a need to do that much._

_At that time Sena's family was not really that large, in fact it was only Kakei, Mizumachi, Seijuurou and Sena, with the sudden and very new arrival of Jumonji and his crew. Riku was also part of the family –not officially- but he was constantly being moved around by his father- Sena's uncle- who was training him to be in the mafia; to the outsider this seemed like an unwise choice, but Sena had left Riku in his father's care to ensure he had an ear outside the mafia at all time._

_Now, all the boys were settling in, and already a strong bond between Jumonji's group and Sena's was forming, so much so that anyone within the mansion that looked at Sena the wrong way was faced with a shield of boys and glares that could freeze dry ice. Though they had only been in the mansion for a couple weeks they were about to meet the boss. Now, Sena knew what was happening, along with Mizumachi and Kakei, and they were scared, because none of the boys were even in their teens yet, so they couldn't protect themselves, they had to rely on Sena's guardian- one who was given to Sena the day his parents died- and his god father._

_When they were collected to meet the ailing boss of Di Fortuna, Sena's guard_ _**Acciaio** _ _was nervous, he was fidgety and scared, because he knew Sena was being told that he was the next boss, due to the fact his father had been killed prematurely._

_They arrived in the meeting room, Mizumachi remembered the tension in Kakei's shoulders as he stood to Sena's left, and could remember Seijuurou shifting into a position that was protective, but still lead the adults before them to believe that Sena was their boss._

_Wasn't it strange though? Mizumachi couldn't remember when it was they had decided to become a famiglia it was so natural it was almost subconscious._

_They were greeted, and the boss seemed genuinely nice, he was kind enough to order Japanese food, and seemed to genuinely believe that Sena was going to be a good boss, but Kakei and Mizumachi knew bosses were actors before they were genuine men, and this man had sad, regretful eyes; though Mizumachi and Kakei didn't know why._

_They found out later why the boss was so regretful. Just as dinner ended, and the boys were lead to their shared room, Sena was grabbed, his arms bound and his face scared. The rest of his family fought against the other men as they dragged them to their room, all the while kicking and scratching and trying to get their littlest brother back into their grasps._

_Sena's screams were heard throughout the mansion, almost like a warning that resistance was futile. Mizumachi still remembers throwing up when he heard the screams, because they were just that terror filled and painful, they were locked in a room, filled with enough beds for all of them, and were made to listen- unable to escape and save Sena no matter how hard they fought- as the young boy screamed and had god only knows what happen to him._

_When he was finally thrown into the room, tear streaked, shivering, and his torso wrapped in bandages, well, he was never quite the same after that._

_Kakei remembers well something similar happening in his old famiglia, when the cornet was passed onto the new generation's boss, and he never thought in his entire life that it would happen to Sena when he wasn't even thirteen yet, it was usually a cornet passed on the eighteenth birthday; on rare occasions when the past boss had died before the age-rite had passed._

_Mizumachi was beside himself, he had never seen such an act, because he wasn't high enough into his famiglia's echelon to see it happening._

_It was a horrible night, Sena was beside himself, hiding in the corner, not allowing anyone near him- not even Seijuurou- and it took another week before Mizumachi and Kakei could explain to him exactly what had happened._

" _I know why, and if it means that I am now the recognized the heir and can protect you by leading the famiglia, then maybe it's better I do have this brand." Was Sena's only reply to their coxing._

_Even now, Sena is branded with the marks of his initiation, the symbols of his cornet etched into his back, seared into the skin and torn into his mind. Not one of the brothers mentioned it when they caught sight of the scars in passing, when changing or during training; because all of them knew they were both a burden and a sign of his power and pride._

* * *

Sounds drifting from open gates down the road woke both Mizumachi and Kakei from their thoughts, and though neither would say, it wasn't strange for them to think about the same things, because despite their outwardly different expressions, they often fell into the same moods.

They arrived at the school quickly, and followed everyone else as they made their way to their homeroom. They sat down, pleased to see Sena pulled the strings to put them in the same class, and waited for the introductions to end.

They ended up at the pool, not really bothered about finding a club, because as long as Sena told them to do something they would, after all they owed him their lives in more than one way.

Mizumachi jumped right in, his swimming trunks were in his bag, and given that Kakei was looking after his gun and making sure they weren't disturbed, Mizumachi could lose himself in the rhythmic, therapeutic movement, feeling the water rush past him, and his legs sense around the holsters holding his knives.

"Hey Mizumachi, do you think everything is going to be okay?"

Kakei sat on the edge of the pool his legs dangling into the water. Though he didn't like swimming, he enjoyed watching Mizumachi swim, because he knew how much it meant to his friend.

"Honestly," the blonde fish began. "I don't know; Sena seems to think he's safe, but I can't help but feel that this move could be both dangerous and good."

Suddenly some boys stumbled into the pool area; two were very tall, and gangly, not really used to what must have been a very sudden growth spurt, the other was short, rather wide for his height and with an awkwardness air around him. They fell over their feet, looking over their shoulders with begging looks before finally turning to shocked looking freshman.

"Ah, we were wondering if, maybe, you'd be interested in joining our American football club." The slight one- who despite his height seemed to be in charge of the other two boys- stepped forward as he spoke.

"You want us to join your club?" Kakei asked incredulously, he was doing a marvellous job of hiding their guns.

"Well yes, you're height would be an asset to our team, we're one of the tallest teams in the tournament, and with your height and athleticism, we'd like both of you to join."

It is fair to say they were interested by this information. They never really thought that their height would be advantageous for anything. Of course, they weren't really passionate about American football but Kakei had enjoyed it during their little escapade in America, he and Jumonji would watch the games together, and even Ragno got deeply into the game. It was curious that the game was offered here in Japan, but hey, if Sena said they could play then why not exploit their height.

"We'll have to think about it, but I'd certainly like to learn more about this 'tallest team' of yours."

All three boys visibly brightened and immediately went about trying to drag the boys to their club house, despite one being half-naked, and the other trying to gather what looked like heavy clothing.


	11. It's decided

Sena was not really looking forward to meeting with his brothers that evening. It wasn't because he'd have to tell them about the Hiruma, in fact he was sure they'd all laugh at the boy's ignorance; it wasn't because it had been all day since they'd seen each other, no he _wanted_ to see them too much for it to be because of that; it was because they'd now have to discuss which club to join, and it didn't help that Jumonji was so _excited_ about the school offering American football.

Sena wasn't really looking forward to getting home. it meant that he'd have to deal with the onslaught of emotions that would come with having to decide for his brothers which sport they would all play. He wouldn'tnhave long to prepare, maybe an hour or two. He knew that Kit and Tetuma would be one of the last to arrive home, maybe at the same time as Mizumachi and Kakei. Though Seijuurou could arrive home sooner. Mizumachi and Kakei would be the first back, he had no doubt that they would have the least amount of care for the team they joined, seeing as they clung to Sena's every word and direction; but a little part of Sena hoped they were a little defiant and fought to get onto the team _they_ wanted to play on.

* * *

Suprisingly enough it wasn't Sena and his three guards that arrived home first but was in face Mizumachi and Kakei. When he did arrive home he was greeted warmly with a mug of rich coffee and some pastries that Kakei had baked the day before.

While Seijuurou could cook better than everyone, it was Kakei they turned to when they fancied something sweet and sugary.

"Ah, how did you two get home so quickly, I was sure we'd be the first home." Sena exclaimed as he passed Jumonji his bag to hand up.

Mizumachi poked his head out from upstairs and practically sailed down the stairs to tackle Sena in a hug. "Ohhh! Sena! I missed you!" he whined as he rubbed crouched down to rub his face along Sena's.

Sena laughed as he tried to pry Mizumachi off of him when he noticed the distinct scent of chlorine clinging to the blonde haired man. "Why do you smell like a pool?"

"Oui, you reek of it. We don't have a pool do we Meteora?" Jumonji questioned as he passed the blonde and his boss. He was one of the only brothers who didn't like swimming, though none liked it so much as Mizumachi.

"This idiot decided that he was going to spend most of the day in the pool. We're home early because this buffoon decided that it was smart to jump in fully clothed." Kakei explained. He sighed and shook his head, and Sena couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face.

"Kakei! That's so mean!" Mizumachi's attention changed from Sena to his tall, blue-haired brother. Though the interactions seemed harsh, Sena could see the affection in the banter.

"Besides! I only did that because our Sempai kept us behind to talk about joining their team!"

Sena interrupted then. He really didn't want to hear about what teams they were or weren't going to join when all his brother's weren't home.

"We'll talk about it later okay? Wait for everyone to get home first." Sena explained with a little anxiety touching his voice.

Kakei and Mizumachi nodded without a problem. Neither of them cared about what sport they took part in. In the end they were there for Sena and for no other reason. Though, a selfish part of them that never made its voice heard hoped that they would be a part of the tallest line.

* * *

As Kid and Tetsuma entered the house they were practically dancing on their spots. Not only were their hearts set on their chosen sport, but their school was far better than they thought it would be. Kid was feeling especially happy because he had the opportunity to test his mind-tricks on the general population of the school without fear of rebuff from Sena; the school was a mafia school after all. Sena was happy to see Kid and Tetsuma so happy; he knew how sensitive and self-conscious Kid was after his rough and expectant past as a child.

"Welcome home, Kid-nii, there's going to be a meeting after dinner.

"Alright Sena, was school okay?" the cowboy asked as he passed, he ruffled Sena's hair good-naturedly with a smooth smile on his face. He was going to nap in his room before dinner.

"It was as good as it could be when you have a Hiruma breathing down your neck." Sena shrugged and ignored the impressed look on Kid's face as he made his way back to the living room.

* * *

Seijuurou was actually the last to arrive home. He had stayed for the entirety of the after-school practice and had even approached the coach to find out how he could join the team. After that Sakuraba and Takami had brought him around the school to show him the things they hadn't had the time to see during the day. After that the jog home hadn't been too long, but he had stopped to pick up some food for dinner the following night.

The tension in the house when he did arrive home was palpable. His boss was pacing and jittery, Seijuurou knew it was because the boy was far too aware of others' feelings. Seijuurou knew that tonight was going to be somewhat tense until the meeting was over and the team was decided, though as much as he wanted to play football, if he had to another would not be too bad.

* * *

With everyone home, all of them looking hopeful and excited, Sena's stomach dropped. He didn't want to think that he had to deny any of them the game they wanted to play. He panicked a little, not really wanting to deal with all of their hope when he was still reeling a little from the Hiruma's forwardness.

In fact, he'd rather face that Hiruma right now than his own brothers.

When they all approached him he smiled, because despite his 'nervousness' he was so _glad_ to see them finally happy. "We'll talk about it after dinner, Seijuurou-nii and I spent a long time on it. You better enjoy it!" despite his demanding tone, every single man gathered was laughing as they took their seats at the dining table.

Tonight they had a BBQ with burgers, hot-dogs, salads, ribs, the whole lot. Kid practically drooled while Kakei shook his head in wonderment, holding Mizumachi by the collar as he tried to dive headlong into the coleslaw.

As they ate they talked about their day in school, careful to avoid any mention of the clubs they wanted to play on. Kid spoke on about how many Americans there were in his school, and how many different famiglia. "None of them know who exactly I am, but they knew enough about our famiglia to know my crest isn't to be messed with." he droned with an uncharacteristic smile on his face. Kid always found it hardest to travel around to places with strange cultures.

"Our school has so many tall students. Even the buildings are liked twelve stories. There are elevators in almost every block." Mizumachi explained, though the words were babbled by the rib in his mouth.

"Mouth closed, Mizumachi." Kakei ordered as he wiped his mouth free of salad dressing. "There were many different kinds of students. We met some sempai who were very enthusiastic." He explained, treading carefully around _where_ he met these sempai.

"I met up with some old friend's from elementary. It was strange seeing them again after so long."  
"Was it hard for you, Seijuurou-nii?" Sena asked with a frown on his voice. To know that his brother had to walk the old path that he was forced from caused no amount of grief for Sena.

"Not at all, it was almost as if I were walking with children." Seijuurou explained with slight puzzlement on his face.

It hadn't been so hard to talk and walk with Takami and Sakuraba. Both here exceptional and had changed significantly, but neither of them seemed all that mature. Even Takami, who corrected Sakuraba constantly, had no kind of knowledge of the world, no cynicism or restraint. Seijuurou found himself pitying his friends for not knowing anything. It almost made him glad to be part of the Mafia and not ignorant of anything.

Sena knew his brother wasn't lying and so went back to eating. The rest of the mean help light chatter about various subjects and who could help with what subject. Though none of them really needed help with anything- having been homeschooled since entering Di Fortuna- it was an excuse to spend time with each other and even Sena fainted ignorance with maths to gain some time with Jumonji.

Once they had finished and cleaned up they piled into the living room to take their usual seats and discuss the topic all of them –Sena more so than anyone-was dreading, what teams they should join.

"On three, I want all of you to yell out what sport you want to join." Sena knew that this would probably cause the most arguments, but with his heart hammering away he didn't know what else to do. When it came to his brothers all the confidence and self-respect disappeared to anxiety. All he wanted was for everyone to be happy. He hated putting restraints on them, if they wanted to do something he was someone who wanted to let them do it; yet here he was potentially telling them that they had no choice over this matter.

"1...2...3..."

"AMERICAN FOOTBALL!"

Sena was silent for a moment, looking to his left to catch eyes with Seijuurou. "American football."  
Then his eyes traveled to Kid and Tetsuma. "American Football."

Brown met the blue of Kakei and Mizumachi. "American Football."

Finally moving towards Jumonji, Kuroki, and Shozo. "American Football."

There was another beat of silence before Kakei spoke up, looking at Seijuurou. "Seriously? What made you pick that?"

"Oujou's training faculties are almost as good as back home."

"There's no way they out-compete Deimon." Jumonji concurred. Kuroki and Shozo joined in with assessments about how Deimon must be better because they have a Hiruma 'pulling strings' at the school.

"We were scouted out by a Hiruma to join the team. I doubt any of you beat that."

"Out coach is American." Kid spoke up, pulling his hat over his eyes to shadow his smirk. All of the others were gaping at the man.

"No way! We'll win. We have the tallest line in the entire league!" Mizumachi stood up, as if to illustrate his point, all then brothers gawked when suddenly all eyes shifted over to Sena.

The teen was curled up on the couch holding his stomach with tears in his eyes. Melodious laughter spilt from his lips as his clutched at his middle, hoping to ease the glorious tension tightening in his gut.

Sena couldn't help but laugh. Of all the outcomes that could have come about, all the things he worried about in the back of his mind, never did he think that all his brothers would agree on the same thing. Never did he believe that they would all want to play the same thing. Then again, he should have learnt long ago never to underestimate their bond.

"Alright then, it's decided." Sena explained when he got his laughter under control. "We'll all play American football."


	12. Touching Reunion

Sena soothed his frazzled nerves with his routine afternoon jog, as of late, with so many people in and out of his life, Sena's thoughts had been drifting into the past. He was daydreaming more often, and had attacked more of his brothers in his sleep than usual. But then again, when they were under a lot of stress from moving or hiding it happened to Sena a lot. This time, seeing as two of his brothers were missing, it made the transition even more difficult, more difficult again by the fact that Sena didn't _know_ where Acciaio was.

Acciaio was fundamental to Sena, he couldn't run his family even half as well now that the man was gone, but he had learnt to cope. It was simply difficult to have moved so suddenly with no confirmation from the man that he knew where they were. As he jogged – his brothers somewhere close but not next to him- Sena's mind was cast back to a time when the Mafia started.

* * *

_When Sena was carted off in the helicopter he arrived at the mansion where his mafia life began and his innocence began the slow, painful spiral into nonexistence. Sena had received a guard as soon as he arrived in the mansion and was settled in. The boy was his age, he was the son of Sena's god-father and had been training in kick-boxing and muay-tai since he could walk. The boy was strong and stern, but he was also soft and loyal._

" _Sena, you understand now what is happening don't you?" his god father had asked him only a week after his arrival._

_Sena had nodded, he knew. He was to be boss, his daddy and mommy had told him the truth when they said they wouldn't be around forever, and now they were gone Sena had a duty._

" _I need to look after my famiglia."_

_The man sighed sadly. The boy had at least five official years left of peace, and now, because his father had been naive, the boy had none. "Do you want us to find your friends and bring them here?"_

_Sena hesitated, but knew that his friends would not like it if he told this man no, so he nodded and his god-father put on another one of his sad, useless smiles. Sena could read through them, even at nine, and he knew the man wished to stop Sena from seeing the rest of the mafia world._

" _Okay then, I will collect them. Sena, from now on your life will be hard. You will have to train a lot and learn many things. Your friends too. You will have little freedom now." He wasn't sure the boy would understand, but he_ needed _to, and so Anthony could do nothing but_ hope _the boy was as intuitive as his father seemed to think he was._

" _I know, Uncle-Anthony. I just want my famiglia safe."_

_With that the tall Italian nodded and left the room- one Sena had locked himself into as soon as his parents' funeral was over- only to return with another boy, maybe a year older than Sena, though by his face and stance you'd assume at least three or four years difference between them._

" _This is my son; he is going to look after you from now on. You don't need to like it, but please just accept it." He paused as he pushed his son forward. He was selfish in his reasoning for putting the two boys together, his son needed a friend- a proper famiglia- and Sena was so accepting and warm that Anthony could only hope the boy would accept his cold son and open him back up into the world. "I need to take my leave now. Get to know each other. Maybe look around the house. I'm sure you'll find something to do."_

_With that Anthony left and Sena was left with the strange –nervous- boy who stood like a soldier. The boy had thick black hair and a body unbefitting of a young boy. His lean body rivaled even Seijuurou's and Sena worried this boy was unhealthy and abused too, though he doubted his father, or Uncle Anthony, would let anything like that happen._

" _Are you going to be my friend?" Sena asked. His nervousness surfaced and caused his voice to sound meek and scared. He was scared, but not of the boy._

" _I'm your guard." The boy's accented Japanese was funny sounding, but Sena didn't like the answer he gave._

" _I know that. Are you going to be my friend? I want you to be my friend, because then you can be my famiglia."_

_The young boy was taken aback. In all his time he had never met someone so open. The mafia broke you in so many ways, this boy was obviously not the mafia, and that touched the lean boy in ways he didn't understand. There was something about Sena that he didn't want broken. He was lightened by Sena's smile. He wanted to protect that smile. He wanted to be a part of this 'famiglia' that made Sena smile like that._

_He could only nod to Sena, whose reply was a smile brighter than a star, more powerful than even the kicks that he had been trained to deliver. "Good, but, nii-san, I don't know your name."_

_Smiling lightly, quirking his lips and leaning forward to embrace Sena, the boy whispered his name in Sena's ear. "But, I don't want anyone to know that name, so if you would, call me Acciaio."_

_Sena smiled brightly, he liked the boy's name it was so suiting and so wonderful. Though, he was determined not to call the boy by his mafia name when they were alone. Famiglia didn't do that after all._

* * *

Sena hadn't seen his guard Acciaio since he sent him on a mission four years ago. It was a hard decision for a twelve year old Sena, but he was the only member of Di Fortuna that could pull it off, the only one whose face wasn't well known. The mission was infiltration and information gathering.

Acciaio was Sena's advisor. He went to every meeting with Sena and guarded him from every threat. He was not officially a 'brother' as the others of Sena's more immediate famiglia were, but everyone in Di Fortuna and the mafia knew that Acciaio was precious, not to be trifled with, and a brother to Meteora.

The mission Sena has sent his guard on was dangerous; it was long-term and would leave Di Fortuna somewhat vulnerable for the time being. But in the end it was hoped that they would be stronger once Acciaio returned. But, they had had no news from the man since last year when Sena was in America. Though no one wanted to say it, the entirety Di Fortuna was convinced that the ex-guard now brother was dead. He was so precise when it came to keeping in contact- with Sena especially- for him to suddenly lose contact was a concern. But no one, not even some of the more disrespectful of Sena, wanted to see him cry anymore over the loss of another family member.

It had been a hard year, and Sena had to stop himself from sending more people out to search for his brother. He knew it wasn't right to want to risk others for one man, but Sena worried. Today was just another day where his memories were taking over and leaving him depressed. For once he looked forward to football training.

* * *

Hiruma was surprisingly lenient during practice, mumbling about a missing member and stupid old men. All of the members of the Devil bats were doing strength training and Sena had to be careful not to give away his true strength. He lifted 40Kg for the record, but his actual record was something around 80. Jumonji, Kuroki and Shozo also lifted only half their record of 75KG and despite the scowl on the Hiruma's face, Sena knew that the man couldn't actually yell at them. All four of them were above high school averages, and Sena especially was better than what anyone's eyes would say. Fast and Strong, a rare combination.

However, the man was more lenient than usual. Weight training only lasted half an hour before they were back on the field doing drills. The three Huhs were being trained by Kurita and were making good progress. Sena hadn't seen them having so much fun training since Acciaio was training them.

The man had a way with people; he could make you learn even during an argument.

_Jumonji had taken up smoking at one point, and while Sena hated the habit he didn't have the heart to tell the blond Frenchman 'no'. Acciaio on the other hand had snatched the stick from the teen's mouth and promptly stomped it out._

_Of course that had ignited a whole host of arguments, in three different languages; Acciaio had simply stared Jumonji out and made a deal with him._

" _If I quite will you?" now, Sena knew how hard it was for the man to quit smoking, it was the only thing that reminded the older teen of his late father. The man always had a snuffed out smell of cigarettes about him, without it Sena knew the man would feel at a loss._

_Yet he did quit._

_He had quite for Sena and Jumonji's sake._

Sena's thoughts were taken from Jumonji as Hiruma launched another ball at him, trying to get him to learn to catch. Sena knew he wasn't the best catcher, but he was better than saw someone who had never played football before. He missed a few on purpose, but had to admit that the Hiruma was not a half-bad teacher. Already he knew how to catch about 50% more passes than he could before.

Suddenly, playing a sport didn't seem half as bad as he had thought it would.

Practice after school lasted for maybe three hours, then, with no kind of signal the blonde demon packed up and told the boys to shower and go home.

"And you fucking wimps better not be late for morning practice. We're running laps."

Sena sighed in relief and went with Jumonji, Kuroki, and Shozo to shower before they were going to meet up with their brothers in a local cafe.

* * *

They were just leaving the cafe when Sena's instincts spiked. He had a feeling of familiarity all afternoon. There was the tell-tale feeling of being close to someone he knew, but at the time thought it was the face that Mamori had been clinging and suspicious of him all day at school.

However, when they entered a more busy part of the town, where construction was underway, Sena knew why he was having spiked of excitement and anticipation all day.

He recognised one of the workers leaving the construction site.

Watching the man walk through the streets, Sena was immediately drawn to his stride. The man was well built, old-faced, but had that stride of a young man, of a teen trained into battle. Especially his legs.

They were thick branches, yet were lean and toned. Even under the breezy jeans the man wore, Sena could see the definition in the thighs and calves. They were the legs of a man who fought with them, who couldn't run, but had the power of ten in his kicks. Then he turned.

Even before his brothers understood what was happening Sena was gone. His speed bursting through the streets as he approached the man with the old face and lean body. There was no mistaking the stride, or the shaggy black hair that was held back with a bandana.

"Musashi!" Sena's tears were unhindered as he buried his head in a warm, firm chest. The scent of the man- faded cigarettes, sweat and wet cement- the thick sound of his beating heart, and the deep, startled breaths were proof enough, fact enough to tell Sena his brother was alive, was back; had found them again.

"Sena?" the voice wad thick with tears. It was obvious to Sena. Thick arms encircled his back, reciprocating his suffocating hug- with less strength but enough. Sena felt warm breathe in his hair and felt the tickle of water. He didn't care. He didn't care that the rather reserved Japanese people were looking at him odd.

Acciaio was back! Musashi was alive. Musashi-nii was home.

Hollered calls assaulted Sena's ears as his brothers finally caught up to him. But the calls were silence when deep, old, brown eyes bore into each bother. There was a moment of silence before Jumonji, Kuroki, and Shozo were part of the group hug.

Of all the brothers, bar maybe Seijuurou, they were the closest to Musashi. They had the most respect for him and he seemed to help them cope with the transition –both from country and innocence- when they joined Sena and his brothers in the Mafia the most. They had all been silently devastated when Sena broke the news to them- bawling as he did- that Musashi was MIA.

"Where the fuck have you been, old man?" Jumonji was the first to break the silence, his blues watered down but smiling.

"I'm sorry. So sorry." he couldn't explain, not here, not where they weren't safe.

Sena, as usual seemed to sense that, he grabbed Musashi's hand gave it a gentle tug towards the smiling, relieved others. All of them would give Musashi a hiding when Sena was in bed or was out, because the man had caused their brother-boss so much grief and pain over the past year. But right now they were too overjoyed that he was _alive_ really, truly, here and alive.

"Let's go home, Musashi-nii. I think you need to explain."

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, those who are familiar with me should know, I am neither Italian nor Japanese, nor French, nor German, nor American.  
> The words I use, and the phrases or situations are ones I am either familiar with, or found online. So please correct me if I'm wrong, I know I get things wrong in the pursuit of a better story.  
> I am also not part of the mafia (or am I?) so if anything seems WAY too farfetched, please slap me.
> 
> Di Fortuna - Of fortune (Italian)  
> Meteora - Meteor (Italian)  
> Ryuusei - Meteor (Japanese)  
> Giavellotto- Spear (Italian)
> 
> Anyway, please review, I appreciate it and will not cry no matter how harsh. In fact, a harsh critique might actually make me better. I'd like to know ifI should continue this or give it up.
> 
> Arigatou. Thank you. Grazie Tante.  
> ~~Bleach-ed-Na-tsu :3


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